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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, even though he did not bowl on the day three of a critical Ashes Test.

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

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

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 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 hitting his head on the ground while attempting a stop.

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

"Based on my knowledge, he's quite ready to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the match."

Injury History Scrutiny

Considering 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 nursing an issue attracts considerable scrutiny.

Eager to be in the heat of battle, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to remain alive in the Ashes series.

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

"My understanding is he goes 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 stayed within the contest by bowling out 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 not out 142.

Even though England bowled 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 liability, so he didn't bowl."

Precedent and Pressure

The last time 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 injury.

Stokes has a reputation of pushing his body past breaking point, and it was suggested to Patel that the captain felt he might have endangered himself if he exerted himself any further in Adelaide.

Facing Imminent Loss

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

If the visitors' defeat is completed on day four, 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 days of play to win in England, has the winner 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 highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series alive.

"I remain convinced 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 witnessed something magical from us."

"Three games in, we've landed some blows but absorbed many. It's about time, now we're backed into a corner, to fight back fiercely."