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England's captain Ben Stokes is reportedly "exhausted" but still "physically able" to deliver overs, according to team coach Jeetan Patel, even though he abstained from bowling on the third day of a pivotal 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 venue.

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

A Demanding Knock

During his extended 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 the previous day after banging his head on the ground while attempting a stop.

"He might be a little fatigued 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 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 history – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's previous four series – any suggestion the Durham man 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 puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to remain alive in the Ashes series.

At trailing 2-0 and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their aspirations of regaining the urn alive, England had given up a first-innings lead 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 tourists could have stayed within the match by dismissing Australia for approximately 240 in their second knock and had slim hopes at certain scorelines, only for the home team to accelerate 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 probably a separate conversation with him," said ex-New Zealand player Patel.

"I don't actually know. 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 subsequently missed the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder injury.

Stokes has a history of driving himself to its absolute limit, 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 likely to be beaten 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 decided in just ten days – the opening two matches 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 determined so swiftly.

A Formidable Challenge

If a first goal is to prolong the game into a final day, England will also have to pull off the highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series alive.

"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."

"Three games in, we've thrown some but absorbed many. It's about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to fight back fiercely."