Snicko's issues, Archer argues with Stokes and catching controversy — quick hits from day two of the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval

Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer share a robust conversation, Snicko is decried as "the worst ever" after yet more mix ups, and another catching controversy. 

• Day three: Follow the action live now from the third day at Adelaide Oval
• As it happened: England and Stokes limp to the close after chastening day two
• Analysis from Adelaide: England's demise becomes the B-plot to technological mess
• 'Absolute shambles': Players baffled as DRS madness takes over third Test
• Scorecard: Check out the full scores and stats for the third Ashes Test

Here are the quick hits from day two of the third Ashes Test.

1. Stokes vs Archer

The player of the series so far, Mitchell Starc, came out swinging on day two, smashing five boundaries in the first three overs of the day on the way to his second 50 of the series.

But amid the carnage, another battle was beginning to emerge in the middle of the Adelaide Oval. 

Jofra Archer, England's best bowler on day one, was slightly wayward to begin the session and captain Ben Stokes couldn't hide his frustration in the field, while Archer too was getting annoyed by the lack of third man protection.

It didn't take long for Archer to find his range though, bowling Starc with just his eighth ball of the day.

By that point, however, Starc had already hit Archer for three boundaries and Australia's score was growing ominously.

During England's celebrations, captain and bowler were captured having a rather animated discussion, with Archer gesturing to third man, with Stokes responding by pointing out the field that had been set was leg-side dominant and for Archer to bowl to that.

It was only early in the day, but cracks were emerging in the middle at the Adelaide Oval — and not the ones England's bowlers would've hoped for.

2. Lyon makes belated impression

Not many people would have expected Nathan Lyon to have arrived at his beloved Adelaide Oval having bowled just two overs in the series so far.

With first-innings figures of 0-10 from his two overs in Perth, Lyon was unused in the carnage of day two out west, before being dropped for the Brisbane pink ball Test.

So, heading to Adelaide, we hadn't seen a lot of the greatest Australian off spinner of all time.

It was worth the wait.

A shocking dismissal from the embattled Ollie Pope, spooning a ball to Josh Inglis at mid-wicket got him his first wicket just three balls into his first spell.

Then, a brilliant off spinning delivery clipped the stumps and accounted for Ben Duckett.

Two wicket in his first over back, England all at sea and Nathan Lyon overtook Glenn McGrath to be the second most successful wicket taker in Australian Test history, much to the (mock) frustration of the man known as Pigeon.

3. (Another) did it/didn't it carry controversy

Australia was on a roll before lunch.

Nathan Lyon had struck twice in an over, reducing England to 3-42, teetering in reply to Australia's 371.

So when Joe Root got a thick inside edge onto this pads off Scott Boland, with the ball looping towards Alex Carey, the Australians were in dreamland.

However, as is so often the case in these instances, there was a lengthy delay while the third umpire checked various angles to see whether the ball had hit the ground before going into Alex Carey's gloves.

Had it? The TV cameras simply could not tell, with umpire Chris Gaffaney siding with the batter and the on-field umpires saying that it did not.

4. Brook takes a nap

Coming out after lunch at 3-59 and still trailing by 312 runs, England was in desperate need of a partnership between its two premier batters, Harry Brook and Root.

It was obvious the pair needed to be at their very best in the face of a rampant Australian attack, and Brook employed a rather unconventional strategy to ensure he'd be ready for the most consequential session of the series to date.

With the Australian fielders already on the field and with his pads and helmet on, the mercurial number five paused at the boundary rope and lay down in the scorching, almost 40-degree Adelaide heat.

Root watched on in apparent bemusement as Brook whispered some words of self encouragement before rising from his meditative state drowsily.

Unorthodox or not, Brook's post-lunch ritual proved more effective than whatever Root's was. The latter was caught behind for 19 in just the third over after the break.

But Brook's clarity of mind didn't last too much longer. He was out for 45 not long before tea.

5. Calls for Snicko to 'be sacked' in more farcical scenes

It has been a tough couple days for Snicko, and the hapless technology was at the centre of controversy once again in the evening session.

Not once, but twice.

Jamie Smith fended at a Cummins short ball, which appeared to take a large chunk of his glove on the way through to a stooping Khawaja in the cordon.

It was touch and go whether Khawaja's hands got underneath the ball in time, but that ended up being of little consequence.

With the decision sent upstairs, Gaffaney once again was forced to work with technology that simply wasn't calibrated correctly. It was clear the ball had struck Smith's glove on the way through to Khawaja, but Snicko was unmoved as the ball hit it.

The television umpire decided to side with DRS, leading to scenes of bewilderment in the middle.

"Snicko needs to be sacked," Starc said into the stump mic.

"That's the worst technology there is."

But in Cummins's very next over, the technology worked in the Australians' favour.

Smith swung hard outside off, Australia went up ferociously and the umpires gave it out. The decision went upstairs to check for a fair catch.

The technology showed a faint murmur, once again while the ball passed the bat in between frames, and it was enough for Smith to be ordered from the middle.

"The world's gone mad!" Travis Head was heard exclaiming through the stump mic.

"Absolute chaos. No-one knows where they stand," ABC expert Phil Tufnell said on commentary.