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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, even though he abstained from bowling on the day three of a pivotal Ashes Test.

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

The versatile all-rounder had previously spent over five hours at the wicket across two days to compile 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Demanding Knock

During his extended 198-ball innings, the 34-year-old was hit on the helmet by Mitchell Starc and suffered muscle cramps. He also needed a period off the field on Friday after banging his head on the ground while trying to field the ball.

"He could be a little fatigued and just require some time to himself right now," stated Patel.

"From what I understand, he's quite ready to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's taken a lot out of himself to reach this point in the game."

Past Fitness Concerns

Given his chequered injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be carrying a problem draws considerable scrutiny.

Always keen to be in the heat of battle, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was curious given it was England's final opportunity to stay in the Ashes series.

At 2-0 down and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their hopes of regaining the urn intact, England had given up a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"All I know 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 probably where he's at."

The visiting side could have stayed within the contest by dismissing Australia for approximately 240 in their second knock and had faint chances at certain scorelines, only for the hosts to pull away through Travis Head's not out 142.

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

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

"I don't actually know. 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 curtailed his own bowling was on the last day of the drawn fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in July.

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

Stokes has a history of driving himself to its absolute limit, and it was put to Patel that the captain felt he might have risked injury if he exerted himself any further in Adelaide.

On the Brink of Defeat

England are on the verge of yet another defeat in Australia, once again likely to be beaten inside the first three Tests of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is completed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the outcome of the Ashes has been decided 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 victor of an Ashes series been decided this quickly.

A Daunting Task Ahead

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

"I still believe there's an opportunity for us," stated Patel. "It will be difficult, we're going to need something magical. I think it's high time we saw something special from us."

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