Classy Cummins gets into the red-ball swing

It has taken no time for Pat Cummins to shake off his red-ball rust, and now the world's premier Test bowler is primed for next week's first Ashes Test in Birmingham.

Cummins captured 5-24 in 11.1 overs and picked up the key wicket of Steve Smith late on Wednesday evening in the intra-squad match in Southampton, less than a fortnight after he played in the World Cup semi-final.

The 26-year-old said before the match he finds it easier transitioning from white-ball to red-ball cricket than the other way around and he backed up those words with a blistering performance across the first two days at the Rose Bowl.

"I hadn't bowled a long spell for quite a while and trying to learn some of the nuances of bowling in Test matches," said Cummins, whose last red-ball match was the Canberra Test against Sri Lanka in February.

"That first spell I think I bowled seven (overs) yesterday (Tuesday).

"It is kind of weird. You start off fresh and then after three or four (overs), you're hurting a little bit.

"You kind of find it (rhythm) towards the end. So just those kinds of things, trying to bowl a few bouncers and get the pace up."

Cummins' side in the intra-squad clash, the Brad Haddin XII, needed a bowler to put their hand up after they were skittled for just 105 inside two sessions by the Graeme Hick on day one.

Cummins was that bowler, dismissing Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb in a six-over burst worth 3-9 in the evening session.

The right-armer then opened the attack on the morning of day two and needed just six balls to uproot the middle stump of paceman James Pattinson before forcing quick Michael Neser into a top-edged pull shot to pick up his fifth wicket.

It's the first time the world's No.1 Test bowler has taken five wickets in an innings on British soil in any format, bettering the 4-49 he took against England in the 4th one-day international at Headingley in 2015.

The 2019 Ashes is set to be Cummins' second Ashes tour after joining the 2015 squad as the replacement for Ryan Harris, who retired on the eve of the series.

Cummins didn't play a Test four years ago but having been instrumental in a 4-0 Ashes win on home soil in 2017-18, the Test vice-captain says he is ready for the challenge of taking on England in their own conditions.

"Being on that tour in 2015, I just remember being really excited," Cummins said.

"It felt like I was close to playing a Test towards the end, I feel like that would have been a bonus.

"Just being over here is pretty exciting. After winning the last Ashes, this is the next thing to tick off, playing in an away series. It doesn't get much tougher than this."

If Cummins is excited about playing an away Ashes series, it might have something to do with using a Dukes ball that swings more and for longer than the Kookaburra balls he uses in Australia and one-day cricket.

"You play cricket because you want to influence games and win games," he said.

"As a bowler, when you're sitting at home and chuck on the TV and you see a swinging Dukes ball, you get pretty excited.

"Hopefully, we get some wickets where it's going to swing and seam.

"I think the last six months we've bowled with the white ball, knowing that once we get the Dukes ball hopefully it will swing a bit more and be able to adjust to that.

"And after a couple of sessions, I feel like I am where I want to be.

"So, I'm excited. Let's see what happens. We know not every Test match the ball swings around, but you feel like you're always in the game."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Tour match: Hick XII v Haddin XII, July 23-26

First Test: Edgbaston, August 1-5

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: Lord's, August 14-18

Third Test: Headingley, August 22-26

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: Old Trafford, September 4-8

Fifth Test: The Oval, September 12-16