🔗 Share this article Captain Ben Stokes Is 'Exhausted' Yet Remains 'Fit to Bowl' By a Chief Cricket Reporter At the Adelaide Oval Posted recently The team skipper Ben Stokes is said to be "worn out" but still "fit and ready" to deliver overs, according to team coach Jeetan Patel, despite he abstained from bowling on the third day of a critical Ashes Test. Stokes utilized five other bowlers as the Australian side moved to 271-4 in their second innings, building a commanding lead of 356 runs at the venue. The versatile all-rounder had earlier battled for more than five hours at the wicket over two days to score 83 runs in England's first innings. A Grueling Innings During his marathon 198-ball innings, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by a fast bowler and suffered bouts of cramp. He also needed a period off the field on Friday after banging 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. "Based on my knowledge, he's quite ready to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game." Injury History Scrutiny Considering his complicated injury past – Stokes has not played a full part in any of England's previous four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue draws significant attention. Eager to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' absence from the attack on Friday was puzzling 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 winning back the Ashes alive, England had conceded a first-innings lead of 85 runs. "My understanding 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 match by dismissing Australia for approximately 240 in their second innings 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 chose not to bowl. "He didn't bowl but that's perhaps a different discussion with him," noted former New Zealand international Patel. "I'm not entirely sure. 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 last time Stokes limited his bowling was on the last 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 put 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 yet another defeat in Australia, once again likely to be beaten inside the initial three matches of the series. If the visitors' defeat is completed on day four, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been decided in just ten 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 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 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 absorbed many. It's about time, now we're backed into a corner, to throw some haymakers."