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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 third day of a critical 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 Adelaide Oval.

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

A Grueling Innings

During his marathon 198-ball stay, the 34-year-old was hit on the helmet by Mitchell Starc and experienced muscle cramps. He also needed a period off the field on the previous day after hitting his head on the turf while attempting a stop.

"He could be a bit tired 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 pretty knackered and he's expended a great deal out of himself to reach this point in the game."

Past Fitness Concerns

Considering 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 considerable scrutiny.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' absence from the attack on Friday was puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to stay in the Ashes series.

At trailing 2-0 and needing to win in Adelaide to keep their aspirations of regaining the urn intact, England had given up a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"My understanding 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 bowling out Australia for approximately 240 in their second knock and had slim hopes at certain scorelines, only for the home team to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England bowled 66 overs, Stokes did not use himself.

"He didn't bowl but that's probably 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 liability, so he didn't bowl."

Precedent and Pressure

The most recent occasion Stokes limited his bowling was on the final 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 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 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 probably facing defeat inside the first three Tests of the series.

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

A Formidable Challenge

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 alive.

"I remain convinced there's an opportunity for us," said Patel. "It will be difficult, we're going to need something extraordinary. I think it's about time we saw something special from us."

"Three games in, we've landed some blows but taken a lot. It's about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to throw some haymakers."