David Warner given out, the shadow shows the ball wasn't at the bat. Photo / Supplied
England will take a 78-run lead into day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test in London.
The Aussies were bowled out for 225 in pursuit of England's first-innings 294 and the home team went to stumps at 0/9.
Here are all the talking points from day two.
David Warner's dismissal was shrouded in controversy as the Decision Review System (DRS) intervened to inflict another blow on his shocker Ashes tour.
Umpire Marais Erasmus kept his finger down when Warner slashed at a short, wide ball from Jofra Archer and, despite there only being a half-hearted appeal, England captain Joe Root opted to review.
Initial replays suggested there was a gap between bat and ball but Ultra Edge showed a spike and the third umpire instructed Erasmus to change his decision and give Warner out caught behind for five — prompting howls of disbelief on social media.
Eagle-eyed viewers took to Twitter, using shadows to justify their belief Warner should not have been given out. One image quickly circulated online pointing out there was a gap between the shadows of the bat and ball at the exact time Ultra Edge was claiming Warner got an edge, so he couldn't possibly have made contact.
Former Australian star Ryan Harris and ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan shared the image, suggesting they were of the belief Warner should have stayed at the crease.
Have to hit it to be out! pic.twitter.com/8V0XNqOLUq
— Ryan Harris (@r_harris413) September 13, 2019
Something didn’t seem right about that one ... https://t.co/q5Nr6GNx86
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 13, 2019
Shadow shows a gap pic.twitter.com/sqmZgqzWY2
— Sandy Lanceley (@sandylanceley) September 13, 2019
Shadow shows a gap pic.twitter.com/sqmZgqzWY2
— Sandy Lanceley (@sandylanceley) September 13, 2019
"I honestly don't think he's hit it," Vaughan said in commentary for the BBC. "I know the Ultra Edge shows it but when you see the actual replays it looks to me like it's not near the bat."
Another England great, Nasser Hussain, said he didn't believe Warner was out and legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne thought the same, but suggested Warner's calm reaction to being given his marching orders suggested he may have known he hit it.
"It was interesting just working out if the noise matched up with when the bat passed the ball," Warne said while commentating on Sky Sports. "I didn't think he hit it when you look at all the technology.
"But then his reaction walking off looked like he wasn't all that disappointed, so you have to go on the technology and say maybe he got a tiny feather on it."
After play, Steve Smith added his voice to the chorus of uncertainty, saying: "I don't really know what happened there. It looked from the eye that there was a little bit of a gap between bat and ball but the spike comes up and that's it. It was unfortunate, but it is what is."
Geeze I know there’s a spike but I can’t see how he has hit that. Looks like a gap between bat and ball.
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) September 13, 2019
Terrible use of technology. Once they send it to ultraedge the third ump loses control of the process. He had to chuck that out before then. We need specialist TV umpires. #Ashes
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) September 13, 2019
However, Aussie legend Dean Jones wasn't convinced Warner should have survived, based on what the shadows were doing.
Under ICC playing conditions .. the snicko is allowed a frame before and after impact... to allow the 3rd umpire to give the proper decision https://t.co/A41Yqq8cpT
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) September 13, 2019
Warner's dramatic dismissal ensured he left the field with a record he won't want to be remembered for.
After being caught behind for five, Warner became the first batsman in Test history to ever be dismissed for single figures eight times during one series.
Warner scored 61 in the second innings at Headingley but has just 84 runs for the series from nine digs. That means in the eight innings outside his lone half century, Warner has only scored 23 runs as he endures the worst streak of his career.
His total runs — scored at an average of just 9.33 — are the lowest ever by an opener who has batted in at least nine innings in an Ashes series.
Warner started this series averaging 48.2 but that number has been decreasing rapidly and after he was dismissed by Archer it had slumped to 45.75.
DWarner's career Test average innings by innings in #Ashes2019, commencing at 48.20:
— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) September 13, 2019
47.86
47.56
47.23
46.92
47.02
46.68
46.35
46.01
45.75
Warner wasn't the only one involved in some DRS drama but luckily Matthew Wade was spared, despite what looked to be a mistake by the third umpire.
England reviewed Chris Woakes' LBW shout when the umpire kept his finger down but Ultra Edge appeared to show an inside edge before the ball struck Wade's back leg.
However, the third umpire didn't agree and kept moving forward with the review process. Luckily for Wade, Hawkeye showed the ball was missing off stump and he survived but the No. 5 was upset his inside edge wasn't picked up, remonstrating with the on-field umpires after the final decision was made.
In commentary for Sky Sports, Ricky Ponting agreed Wade's bat was involved, saying: "It's as plain as day that's hit the inside edge before going on to hit his pad."
Australian legend Glenn McGrath was on the same page, telling the BBC: "There was a clear deviation from the inside edge. We got the right decision in the end, but I'm not sure we took the right route to get there."
If ball tracking had said that was out, would Wade have been able to review after a considerable spike that the third umpire completely dismissed? #ashes
— Andrew Tye (@aj191) September 13, 2019
The “Vickets missing” 3rd umpire needs a new job!!! Wade smashed that lbw!! #Ashes19
— Peter Trego (@tregs140) September 13, 2019
Jofra Archer was back to his menacing best and all-rounder Sam Curran made an impact in his first match of the series as they led the way for England with the ball.
Archer, who has drifted in and out at times during the past two Tests, was locked in at The Oval as he ripped through Australia's top order and finished with six wickets.
He stole Stuart Broad's thunder by getting Warner out then continued Marcus Harris's awful series, having the opener caught at second slip for three. Archer returned to break a 69-run partnership between Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne when he trapped the latter LBW for 48, then was rewarded for a hostile spell after tea with the wicket of Mitchell Marsh, who swatted a short ball straight to fine leg.
Archer then cleaned up the tail, bowling Nathan Lyon with a well-disguised slower ball before having Peter Siddle caught in the gully to end the Aussie innings.
Curran also enjoyed a successful day, finding himself on a hat-trick as he ran through the middle and lower order. The left-armer had Matthew Wade LBW for 19 then took two wickets in two balls by knocking over Tim Paine and Pat Cummins.
Curran had Paine caught behind for a single then bowled the perfect inswinger to trap Cummins LBW.
A hat-trick eluded him but Australia lost 3/6 during his brilliant spell as England gained the ascendancy in the final session.
Mitchell Marsh was buzzing after taking four wickets on the opening day, coming in for his first match of the series and having an immediate impact.
His smile got even wider early on day five when he took the last England wicket to fall, bowling Jack Leach for 21 after the No. 10 chopped a ball back onto is stumps.
It's the first time Marsh has ever taken five wickets in a Test innings and he deserved it after troubling England's batsmen with consistent swing across the first two days.
Ryan Fox carded his second straight three-over-par round at Oakmont this morning.