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England's captain Ben Stokes is said to be "exhausted" but still "fit and ready" to bowl, per assistant coach Jeetan Patel, despite he did not bowl on the day three of a pivotal Ashes Test.

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

The dynamic player had previously battled for more than five hours at the crease over two days to score 83 runs in England's initial batting effort.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball stay, the 34-year-old was struck on the head 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 attempting a stop.

"He could 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 pretty knackered and he's taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game."

Injury History Scrutiny

Given his chequered injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's last four series – any suggestion the Durham man might be carrying a problem attracts significant attention.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' absence from the attack on Friday was curious 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 hopes of winning back the Ashes intact, England had conceded a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"My understanding is he goes 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 contest by bowling out Australia for around 240 in their second knock and had slim hopes at certain scorelines, only for the hosts to accelerate away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Even though England bowled 66 overs, Stokes chose not to bowl.

"He didn't bowl but that's probably a different discussion with him," said former New Zealand international Patel.

"I don't actually know. We all know he doesn't do anything at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a liability, so he didn't bowl."

Precedent and Pressure

The most recent occasion Stokes curtailed his own bowling was on the final day of the tied fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in July.

He subsequently missed the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder problem.

Stokes has a reputation 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 stand on the edge of another loss in Australia, once again probably facing defeat inside the first three Tests of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is sealed on day four, it would mean the outcome of the Ashes has been determined in just ten days – the opening two matches 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 victor of an Ashes series been determined so swiftly.

A Daunting Task Ahead

If a first goal is to prolong the game into a final day, England will also have to achieve the greatest run-chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I still believe there's an chance for us," stated Patel. "It won't be easy, 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 absorbed many. It's time, now we're backed into a corner, to throw some haymakers."