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England's captain Ben Stokes is said to be "exhausted" but still "physically able" to bowl, per team coach Jeetan Patel, despite he abstained from bowling on the day three of a pivotal Ashes Test.

Stokes utilized five other bowlers as Australia progressed 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 wicket over two days to score 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball innings, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by Mitchell Starc and suffered bouts of cramp. He also required time off the field on Friday after hitting his head on the ground while attempting a stop.

"He might be a bit tired 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 really exhausted and he's taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game."

Past Fitness Concerns

Given his chequered injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's previous four series – any suggestion the Durham man might be nursing an issue attracts significant attention.

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

At trailing 2-0 and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their aspirations of winning back the Ashes alive, England had given up a first-innings lead of 85 runs.

"All I know 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 tourists could have remained in the match by dismissing Australia for around 240 in their second innings and had faint chances 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 did not use himself.

"He didn't bowl but that's perhaps a separate conversation with him," noted ex-New Zealand player 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."

Past Instances and Current Strain

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 injury.

Stokes has a history of pushing his body to its absolute limit, and it was put to Patel that the captain felt he might have endangered himself 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 likely to be beaten inside the initial three matches of the series.

If the tourists' loss is completed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the outcome of the Ashes has been determined 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 winner of an Ashes series been determined so swiftly.

A Daunting Task Ahead

If a primary objective is to extend this match into a final day, England will also have to pull off the greatest run-chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"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 high time we saw something magical from us."

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