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England's captain Ben Stokes is said to be "worn out" but still "fit and ready" to bowl, per assistant coach Jeetan Patel, despite he abstained from bowling on the third day of a critical Ashes Test.

Stokes utilized five other bowlers as Australia moved to 271-4 in their follow-on, establishing a substantial advantage of 356 runs at the Adelaide Oval.

The dynamic player had previously spent over five hours at the crease across two days to compile 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball stay, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by Mitchell Starc and suffered muscle cramps. He also needed a period off the field on the previous day after hitting his head on the turf while attempting a stop.

"He might be a little fatigued and just need a bit of time to himself right now," stated Patel.

"Based on my knowledge, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's expended a great deal out of himself to get through this point in the match."

Past Fitness Concerns

Given his complicated injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's previous four series – any suggestion the Durham man might be carrying a problem attracts significant attention.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to remain alive in the Ashes series.

At trailing 2-0 and needing to win in Adelaide to keep their hopes of winning back the Ashes intact, England had conceded a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"My understanding is he operates at 100%," said Patel. "If he thinks he can't do it at 100%, I don't think he's going to do it. That's likely where he's at."

The tourists could have remained in the contest by dismissing Australia for around 240 in their second knock and had faint chances at certain scorelines, only for the home team to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England delivered 66 overs, Stokes did not use himself.

"He abstained from bowling but that's perhaps a different discussion with him," said former New Zealand international Patel.

"I'm not entirely sure. We all know he doesn't do anything at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a liability, so he didn't bowl."

Precedent and Pressure

The most recent occasion Stokes limited his bowling was on the final day of the drawn fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in July.

He subsequently missed the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder injury.

Stokes has a reputation of pushing his body to its absolute limit, and it was suggested to Patel that the captain felt he might have risked injury if he exerted himself any further in Adelaide.

Facing Imminent Loss

England are on the verge of yet another defeat in Australia, once again probably facing defeat inside the first three Tests of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is sealed on day four, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been determined in just ten days – the opening two matches were over in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia needed only eight days of play to win in England, has the victor of an Ashes series been decided this quickly.

A Formidable Challenge

If a first goal is to prolong the game into a fifth day, England will also have to pull off the highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I remain convinced there's an chance for us," stated Patel. "It won't be easy, we're going to need something extraordinary. I think it's high time we saw something special from us."

"After three matches, we've landed some blows but taken a lot. It's about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to throw some haymakers."