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

Stokes utilized five other bowlers as Australia moved to 271-4 in their follow-on, building a commanding lead of 356 runs at the venue.

The dynamic player had earlier spent over five hours at the wicket over two days to score 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball innings, the 34-year-old was struck on the head by a fast bowler and experienced bouts of cramp. He also needed a period off the field on the previous day after hitting his head on the turf while trying to field the ball.

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

"From what I understand, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just pretty knackered and he's taken a lot out of himself to reach 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 indication the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue attracts considerable scrutiny.

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

At 2-0 down and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their hopes of winning back the Ashes alive, England had conceded a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"My understanding is he goes 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 stayed within the contest by dismissing Australia for around 240 in their second knock and had slim hopes at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the hosts to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England delivered 66 overs, Stokes chose not to bowl.

"He abstained from bowling but that's probably a separate conversation 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 risk, so he didn't bowl."

Past Instances and Current Strain

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

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

Stokes has a reputation of driving himself past breaking point, and it was put 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 another loss in Australia, once again likely to be beaten inside the initial three matches of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is sealed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the outcome of the Ashes has been decided in 10 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 Daunting Task Ahead

If a primary objective is to extend this match 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 still believe there's an opportunity for us," said Patel. "It won't be easy, we're going to need something extraordinary. I think it's about time we saw something special from us."

"After three matches, we've thrown some but absorbed many. It's about time, now we're backed into a corner, to fight back fiercely."