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England's captain Ben Stokes is reportedly "exhausted" but still "fit and ready" to deliver overs, per assistant coach Jeetan Patel, despite he abstained from bowling on the day three of a pivotal Ashes Test.

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

The dynamic player had previously spent over five hours at the wicket across two days to compile 83 runs in England's initial batting effort.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball innings, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by Mitchell Starc and suffered bouts of cramp. He also needed a period off the field on Friday after hitting his head on the turf while attempting a stop.

"He might be a bit tired and just require some time to himself right now," commented Patel.

"From what I understand, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's expended a great deal out of himself to reach this point in the match."

Injury History Scrutiny

Given his chequered injury history – Stokes has not played a full part in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue draws considerable scrutiny.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' absence from the attack on Friday was puzzling given it was England's last chance to stay in the Ashes series.

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

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

The visiting side could have remained in the contest by bowling out Australia for approximately 240 in their second innings and had slim hopes at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the hosts to pull away through Travis Head's not out 142.

Even though England delivered 66 overs, Stokes did not use himself.

"He didn't bowl but that's perhaps a separate conversation with him," noted ex-New Zealand player Patel.

"I'm not entirely sure. We all know he never performs at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a liability, so he didn't bowl."

Past Instances and Current Strain

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

He afterwards missed the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder problem.

Stokes has a history of driving himself past breaking point, and it was put to Patel that the captain felt he might have risked injury if he pushed himself any further in Adelaide.

On the Brink of Defeat

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 tourists' loss is sealed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been determined in 10 days – the first and second Tests were over in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia needed only eight playing days to win in England, has the winner 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 greatest run-chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I still believe there's an chance for us," stated Patel. "It won't be easy, we're going to need something extraordinary. I think it's about time we witnessed something special from us."

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