Skipper Stokes Feels 'Knackered' Yet Remains 'Fit to Bowl'

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

Stokes utilized five other bowlers as Australia moved to 271-4 in their second innings, building a commanding lead of 356 runs at the venue.

The dynamic player had previously battled for more than five hours at the wicket over two days to compile 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Demanding Knock

During his marathon 198-ball stay, the 34-year-old was hit on the helmet by a fast bowler 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 little fatigued 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 expended a great deal out of himself to reach this point in the match."

Past Fitness Concerns

Considering his complicated injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's previous four series – any suggestion the star all-rounder might be carrying a problem attracts significant attention.

Eager to be in the heat of battle, Stokes' absence from the attack on Friday was puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to stay in the Ashes series.

At 2-0 down and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their hopes of winning back the Ashes intact, England had conceded a first-innings lead 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 remained in the match by bowling out Australia for approximately 240 in their second knock and had faint chances at certain scorelines, only for the home team to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

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

"He abstained from bowling 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 liability, so he didn't bowl."

Past Instances and Current Strain

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 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 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 yet another defeat in Australia, once again likely to be beaten inside the initial three matches of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is sealed on day four, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been determined in 10 days – the opening two matches 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 decided this quickly.

A Daunting Task Ahead

If a primary objective is to extend this match into a fifth day, England will also have to pull off the highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I still believe there's an opportunity 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 taken a lot. It's about time, now we're backed into a corner, to throw some haymakers."