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

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

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

A Demanding Knock

Throughout his marathon 198-ball innings, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by Mitchell Starc and experienced muscle cramps. He also needed a period off the field on Friday after banging his head on the turf while trying to field the ball.

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

"Based on my knowledge, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just pretty knackered and he's taken a lot 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 star all-rounder might be carrying a problem draws significant attention.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was curious 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 regaining the urn alive, England had given up a first-innings lead of 85 runs.

"All I know 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 tourists could have remained in the match by dismissing Australia for approximately 240 in their second innings and had slim hopes at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the hosts to accelerate away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Even though England delivered 66 overs, Stokes chose not to bowl.

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

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

Precedent and Pressure

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 subsequently was absent for the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder problem.

Stokes has a reputation of driving himself to its absolute limit, and it was suggested 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 another loss in Australia, once again probably facing defeat inside the initial three matches of the series.

If the tourists' loss is completed 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 short periods 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 prolong the game into a fifth day, England will also have to achieve the greatest run-chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I still believe there's an opportunity 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 about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to fight back fiercely."