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

Stokes deployed a quintet of alternative 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 battled for more than five hours at the wicket across two days to score 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Demanding Knock

Throughout his extended 198-ball innings, the 34-year-old was hit on the helmet by Mitchell Starc and experienced bouts of cramp. He also needed a period off the field on the previous day after banging his head on the ground while trying to field the ball.

"He could be a little fatigued and just require some time to himself right now," commented Patel.

"Based on my knowledge, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just pretty knackered and he's expended a great deal out of himself to get through this point in the match."

Past Fitness Concerns

Given his complicated injury history – Stokes has not played a full part in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue draws considerable scrutiny.

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

At 2-0 down and needing to win in Adelaide to keep their hopes of regaining the urn intact, England had given up a first-innings deficit 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 likely where he's at."

The visiting side could have stayed within the contest by dismissing Australia for approximately 240 in their second innings and had slim hopes at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the hosts to accelerate away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England delivered 66 overs, Stokes chose not to bowl.

"He abstained from bowling but that's probably a different discussion with him," said former New Zealand international 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."

Past Instances and Current Strain

The most recent occasion Stokes curtailed his own bowling was on the final 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 problem.

Stokes has a reputation of pushing his body to its absolute limit, and it was suggested to Patel that the captain felt he might have risked injury if he pushed himself any further in Adelaide.

Facing Imminent Loss

England are on the verge of yet another defeat in Australia, once again likely to be beaten inside the first three Tests of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is completed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been decided in 10 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 winner of an Ashes series been decided this quickly.

A Formidable Challenge

If a primary objective is to prolong the game 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 still believe 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 special from us."

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