🔗 Share this article Skipper Stokes Is 'Exhausted' Yet Insists He's 'Ready to Bowl' From a Chief Cricket Reporter At the famous cricket ground Posted within the last hour England's captain Ben Stokes is reportedly "exhausted" but still "fit and ready" to deliver overs, according to assistant coach Jeetan Patel, even though he did not bowl on the third day of a critical Ashes Test. Stokes utilized five other bowlers as the Australian side moved to 271-4 in their follow-on, building a substantial advantage of 356 runs at the Adelaide Oval. The dynamic player had previously battled for more than five hours at the wicket across two days to score 83 runs in England's first innings. A Grueling Innings Throughout his marathon 198-ball stay, the 34-year-old was struck on the head by a fast bowler and experienced muscle cramps. He also required time off the field on Friday after hitting his head on the turf while trying to field the ball. "He could be a little fatigued and just require some time to himself right now," stated Patel. "Based on my knowledge, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's taken a lot out of himself to reach this point in the game." Injury History Scrutiny Considering his chequered injury history – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's previous four series – any suggestion the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue attracts considerable scrutiny. Always keen to be in the heat of battle, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was curious given it was England's last chance to stay in the Ashes series. At trailing 2-0 and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their hopes of winning back the Ashes alive, England had given up a first-innings lead of 85 runs. "All I know is he operates at 100%," remarked 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 contest by bowling out Australia for around 240 in their second knock and had slim hopes at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the hosts to accelerate away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142. Even though England delivered 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 doesn't do anything at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a liability, so he didn't bowl." Past Instances and Current Strain The last time Stokes curtailed his own bowling was on the last day of the tied fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in July. He subsequently was absent for the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder problem. Stokes has a history of pushing his body to its absolute limit, and it was suggested 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 another loss 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 outcome 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 days of play to win in England, has the victor of an Ashes series been decided this quickly. A Formidable Challenge If a first goal is to prolong the game into a final 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," said Patel. "It will be difficult, we're going to need something magical. I think it's about time we witnessed something special from us." "Three games in, we've thrown some but absorbed many. It's time, now we're backed into a corner, to throw some haymakers."