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The team skipper Ben Stokes is said to be "worn out" but still "physically able" to bowl, according to team coach Jeetan Patel, even though he did not bowl on the third day of a critical Ashes Test.

Stokes deployed a quintet of alternative bowlers as Australia progressed to 271-4 in their follow-on, building a substantial advantage of 356 runs at the venue.

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

A Demanding Knock

Throughout his extended 198-ball stay, the 34-year-old was hit on the helmet by Mitchell Starc and experienced muscle cramps. He also required time off the field on the previous day after banging his head on the ground while trying to field the ball.

"He could be a bit tired and just need a bit of 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 game."

Past Fitness Concerns

Given his complicated injury history – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder 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 last chance to stay 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 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 likely where he's at."

The visiting side could have remained in 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 pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Even though England bowled 66 overs, Stokes did not use himself.

"He abstained from bowling but that's perhaps a separate conversation with him," noted 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 risk, so he didn't bowl."

Precedent and Pressure

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 problem.

Stokes has a history of driving himself past breaking point, 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 initial three matches of the series.

If the tourists' loss is completed on day four, it would mean the outcome of the Ashes has been determined in just ten 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 first goal is to extend this match into a final day, England will also have to achieve the highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series alive.

"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 magical 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."