Four years ago Pat Cummins was pretty happy to be running drinks in an Ashes series in England. Fair enough too, given that his injury record over the preceding few summers had made his selection for Test matches a near impossibility.

In 2019, however, Cummins looms as perhaps the key figure in the entire series, given his outstanding displays in Test matches for Australia to date that have made him by far the most reliable contributor to the attack that Tim Paine will marshal as captain in the touring side's attempt to retain the urn in England for the first time since 2001.

When Cummins was called up in 2015, after a succession of injuries finally forced Ryan Harris into retirement, it was without any first-class cricket to his credit for the preceding two years. A couple of tour games were the sum total of his playing time, and it was not to be until 2017 that Cummins returned to Test matches for the first time since his storied 2011 debut. In that time he has rushed to 94 wickets in 20 Tests, and six victims in the series opener at Edgbaston would make him the fastest into three figures for Australia since Charlie "Terror" Turner in the 1890s.

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"I feel like it was hardly me," Cummins said of his 2015 self. "I think I had only played a couple of first-class games, I might have played my first first-class game in about three or four years on that tour. Totally different action, was still struggling with my body trying to bowl back-to-back days, trying to bowl 20 overs in a day.

"It was more just absolute excitement at being on that tour. I just remember running the drinks in an Ashes series, I remember thinking 'it doesn't get much better than this'. So I just hope that this time playing, it's a bit different."

Australia will hope so too, for Cummins has brought a combination of pace, skill and heart that have brought cricket watchers to their feet more than once. Incisive against England and South Africa in 2017-18, he did not let his performance dip much at all in the wake of the Newlands scandal, scooping 28 wickets from six Tests against India and Sri Lanka last summer.

By way of preparation for the Ashes after the emotional peaks and troughs of the World Cup, Cummins said the key thing was reminding himself, and his fellow pacemen, of what they do well in Tests, with the added feature of a Dukes ball that will provide them with assistance for longer periods than a Kookaburra.

"As a bowler it's pretty simple," he said. "Plan A is normally top of off and hope to get a bit of sideways movement, and I'm sure that over here it's not going to be too different. I'm sure once we get close to the game we're going to look at their batsmen.

"There's a few guys that we haven't played against before in Test matches, but I think the big thing for us bowlers is to remember what we do well and trying to remember that after not playing for a couple of months. Looking through some old Test match footage and concentrating more on what we do well than on certain weaknesses [in the opposition].

"I'm pumped to have a [Dukes] ball that hopefully swings around a bit more for me and hopefully a batsman leaves a ball every now and then. Probably the way it pans out in 80 overs is slightly different to a Kookaburra, but the way you actually bowl, the basics are still there. I'm sure I'll pick up a couple of things in the next few weeks though."

"No matter who's playing [in the Ashes], it's always fiery, it's intense, it's really good cricket. So I can't wait" Pat Cummins

So much of a leader has Cummins become that it will be intriguing to see whether he is promoted to the Test vice-captaincy for this series when the squad is named at the end of the internal trial match between a Hick XI and a Haddin XI in Southampton next week. While Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh shared the title initially, both were missing from the Test team at various points of the summer, with Head and Cummins taking their places.

Either way, the returns of Steven Smith and David Warner from suspension mean a strong degree of continuity in the Australia squad - of the XI that ended the 2017-18 Ashes in possession of the urn, only Shaun Marsh (broken arm) is absent.

"When you look at our Test side from the home series last year, we've basically got the same squad," Cummins said. "We haven't lost anyone from memory, and they're much the same. They've got a couple of guys coming in, their batting order's going to look slightly different, but probably similar to both sides is that our white-ball teams are quite different to our red-ball team. No matter who's playing, it's always fiery, it's intense, it's really good cricket. So I can't wait.

"I think it's pretty easy when you've got an Ashes series. Although there's been a lot of white-ball cricket this has been the big series we've been talking about for a long time in red ball. The good thing coming out of the World Cup is I still feel in pretty good shape, refreshed, body's good. We've got a couple of weeks here now to work on that Dukes ball. Don't have to rush it too much, we've got a good hit-out here, I love playing the red ball, it's pretty easy to get up for."

And while Cummins conceded there was a mental toll in terms of disappointment and frustration at losing their World Cup semi-final so badly to England, he also reasoned that adjusting from white ball to red is a simpler task for him than the opposite.

"It was disappointing to get knocked out in the semis in a tournament where I thought we played really well for the whole time," Cummins said. "We gave ourselves a really good chance. It felt like we were peaking at the right time, always in search of that perfect game which we probably needed in the semi. Unfortunately we weren't at our best that day and got knocked out but that's the World Cup.

"I think the most difficult one is going the other way and trying to re-learn death bowling, trying to re-learn your yorkers and slower balls. Those kind of things are probably harder than adjusting here, most of the basics kind of stay the same. It's just trying to make sure your wrist is good to swing the ball."

Durham 148 for 4 (Short 46) Northamptonshire 141 for 9 (Rossington 47, Potts 2-11) by seven runs

A fine all-round performance from D'Arcy Short on debut guided Durham to a narrow seven-run victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their Vitality Blast opener at Emirates Riverside.

The Australia opener set the tone with an aggressive innings of 46 at the top of the order on a sluggish Chester-le-Street pitch. It allowed the hosts to set a challenging total of 149 for the Steelbacks to chase after losing the toss.

Durham were able to take the initiative with the ball, reducing the visitors to 23 for 3. Adam Rossington led a spirited counter to keep Northants in contention, although once he fell for 47 to Short it appeared to be in vain. Rob Keogh almost provided late drama, but Matty Potts held his nerve with the final over to clinch the win.

Openers Short and Scott Steel made a measured start to the Durham innings amid challenging overhead conditions. Short flashed his power with a couple of cuts to the fence. However, the pitch and the length of the boundaries at Emirates Riverside restricted the openers' ability to get on top of the Northants bowlers.

Short began to find his range and he pummeled Dwaine Pretorius back over his head for a boundary. The 28-year-old then survived a run out chance on 36 after Josh Cobb connected with a direct hit. Short's attempt to up the rate resulted in his dismissal when he sliced an attempted straight drive off Graeme White and was caught by Matt Coles for 46.

Steel and Graham Clark found their rhythm to guide their side over the 100-run mark. Steel was able to launch the first six of the match straight down the ground off the bowling of Cobb. The opener was beginning to free his shoulders before suffering the same fate as Short, allowing White to notch his second wicket.

With overs running out Ben Raine had to hit the ground running. He offered a brisk 13 from eight deliveries before he was bowled by Faheem Ashraf, while Clark was caught on the boundary for 17. Captain Stuart Poynter and Liam Trevaskis guided Durham to a competitive total of 148 from their 20 overs, leaving the visitors requiring almost 7.5 runs an over.

Northants' reply got off to a stuttering start, losing Charlie Thurston in the second over, cutting a Potts' ball straight to Short at point. Potts then removed the dangerous Cobb, clipping his pad then his leg stump to reduce the visitors to 18 for 2. Coles was elevated up the order, but fell attempting to pull Raine over the rope, only finding the hands of Jack Burnham.

Rossington led the Steelbacks' counterattack, blasting two huge sixes off the bowling of Raine to move them back in line with the required run rate. Rossington and Alex Wakely were building an important stand of 35, but Trevaskis broke the partnership by bowling the latter through the gate.

At the other end, Short handed Durham control of the contest when he removed Rossington, finding the edge with a delivery down the leg side. The home side turned the screw as Short notched his second wicket as Pretorius found Burnham in the deep.

Although the Steelbacks kept losing wickets, a lower-order stand between Keogh and White gave them hope. The two players took it to the last over, requiring 15 to snatch the win. Potts took on the responsibility and held his composure, guiding the hosts to the victory.

Former captain Steven Smith and Ashes tour aspirant Matthew Wade will be pitted against Australia's leading bowlers including Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in the internal trial at Southampton that will determine the final shape of the touring party.

Teams coached by Brad Haddin and Graeme Hick were named on Friday evening, with Usman Khawaja the only name missing out of the 25-man pre-Ashes squad as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain suffered during the World Cup.

Travis Head will lead the Haddin XII, which features Starc, Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and David Warner. Test captain Tim Paine will meanwhile have Smith, Wade, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson and Cameron Bancroft, another batsman fighting for one of the last remaining spots in the tour proper.

Cummins, who in addition to Head served as Paine's deputy in the latter part of the Australian summer, said the duel with Smith would help get his competitive juices flowing ahead of the Ashes.

"I think it'll definitely get the adrenaline up like in a Test match," Cummins said. "It doesn't happen too often - you'll see our egos be put to the test, we'll be going at each other I think. Maybe [played Smith before] in a T20, but not that I can remember.

"I think personally from my point of view it's about trying to get myself 100 percent ready for a Test match. I haven't played a first-class game in a few months so it's going to be trying to bowl long spells, get the ball swinging, try and think of ways to get batsmen out. These guys are really good players just like the English Test side. There's no really obvious flaw so you've got to try to work a batsman out. It's going to be a good hit-out, everyone is in good form."

The concept has arisen out of long-held dissatisfaction with the level of preparation provided by domestic and invitational teams fielded by host nations in recent years, whether it be Kent and Essex in 2015 in England, or the teams presented in Sri Lanka the following year. Pat Howard, the former Cricket Australia executive in charge of team performance, inked the fixture into Ashes plans well before he was shown the door in the wake of a scathing culture review last year.

"I think it's been in the planning for a couple of years, I think the lessons learned from the last couple of series was exactly that," Cummins said. "We want a really good hit-out in conditions we can control, people jostling for spots.

"The best thing is guys who are fighting for spots are in good form, so it's not a pre-season warm-up game that might meander or you kind of look after people's injuries in this game, it's going to be flat out and good fun I think, especially coming off a good game last week against the Lions, this is going to be another tune-up game that's going to get us right and ready."

Perhaps the only area of concern for the fixture is the danger of injury as players on both sides stretch themselves. Shaun Marsh was unable to be considered due to a broken arm sustained in a competitive net session prior to the final World Cup round robin game against South Africa in Manchester.

Haddin XII: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Travis Head (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Will Pucovski, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland

Hick XII: Joe Burns, Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (capt), Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird, Chris Tremain, Nathan Lyon

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- After dropping his final putt of the second round of the 148th Open Championship on Friday, Rory McIlroy took off his hat and waved it in the air, as the enormous gallery surrounding the 18th green at Royal Portrush Golf Club gave him a standing ovation.

It was a moment McIlroy had dreamed about for much of his life.

"I'm trying not to imagine what it was going to be like on a Sunday," McIlroy said. "It's a moment I have envisioned for the last few years; it just happened two days early."

The biggest story in the second round wasn't Irishman Shane Lowry holding a share of the 36-hole lead, Brooks Koepka contending for another major, or stars like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Gary Woodland missing the cut.

The biggest stir came from a player who started the day 13 shots behind co-leader J.B. Holmes, after taking a quadruple-bogey 8 on his very first hole of the season's final major.

Over five hours on Friday, though, McIlroy captured the imagination of his native Northern Ireland, as he nearly did the impossible: climbing out of a cavernous hole to make the cut and stick around for the weekend in the first Open played on Irish soil in 68 years.

In the end, McIlroy shot 6-under 65, 14 shots better than his opening 79, for a 36-hole total of 2 over. He missed the cut by 1 shot.

Needing a birdie on the 18th to make the number, he pulled his second shot to the left of the green and couldn't make magic with a wedge.

Along the way, thousands of fans followed him on the Dunluce Course, where he set a course record with a 61 as a 16-year-old.

"As much as I came here at the start of the week saying I wanted to do it for me, by the end of the round I was doing it just as much for them as much as I was for me," McIlroy said. "I wanted to be here for the weekend. Selfishly, I wanted to feel that support for two more days."

McIlroy, who grew up in nearby Holywood, nearly pulled it off. He had a 2-under 34 on the front nine, and then he had birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 12. He had a bogey on the par-3 13th hole, after hitting a 7-iron into the right greenside bunker and failing to get up and down.

McIlroy bounced back with another birdie on the par-4 14th with a 12-footer. He was able to get up and down out of another bunker to save par on the par-4 15.

Needing two birdies in the last three holes to make the cut, McIlroy got the first on the par-3 16th hole, known as "Calamity Corner." He hit a 5-iron about 230 yards, leaving himself a 10-footer. He drained it, sending the patrons into a frenzy.

McIlroy had another good birdie look on the 17th, but left a 20-footer on the low side and settled for par.

Then he came up short on 18 at the end.

Afterward, while speaking to reporters, McIlroy was asked to describe his emotions.

"There's a lot of them," he said. "Disappointment to not be here for the weekend. I'm unbelievably proud of how I handled myself today, coming back from what was a very challenging day [on Thursday], and just full of gratitude to every single one of the people that followed me to the very end and was willing me on."

After McIlroy's debacle on Thursday, when he drove his opening tee shot out of bounds en route to making 8 and also had double-bogey 5 on No. 16 and triple-bogey 7 on 17, he wasn't sure how the hometown patrons would respond.

His performance in the first round seemed to suck the air out of the first Open Championship at Royal Portrush since 1951.

"I didn't know how people were going to react to yesterday, how many people were going to be on the first tee. Is it just a lost cause?" McIlroy said. "To have that many people out there, following me and cheering my name, it meant the world to me. I'm glad to some degree I gave them something to cheer about today."

McIlroy lives in Florida and rarely gets back to Northern Ireland, where his parents still live.

"Over the last week, it has been an eye-opener for me," he said. "You're so far away you forget about all of the people that are cheering for you back home. And then you play in front of them, and it definitely hit me like a ton of bricks today."

McIlroy, who has won 25 times as a pro, including four major championships, only wished he could be around for the weekend to feel it again.

"Today was probably one of the most fun rounds of golf I've ever played," he said. "It's strange saying that and standing here having had a bit of success and [having] won this championship before, but to play in front of those crowds today and to feel that momentum, you really dig in.

"It's going to be a tough one to get over."

Free-agent guard Justin Holiday has agreed to a one-year, $4.8 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, a league source tells ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Holiday, a defensive-minded wing, split time between the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds over 82 games.

In Indiana, Holiday will team with his brother Aaron, who has been with the Pacers since they chose him in the first round of the 2018 draft.

Their brother Jrue is with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Sacramento Kings have hired former Duke and WNBA star Lindsey Harding as an assistant coach.

"Lindsey is a rising star and I'm so excited to have her join our incredibly experienced team of coaches," Kings coach Luke Walton said. "Her basketball IQ and proven success on the court will be a valuable addition to our growing team as we work together to build a winning culture for many years to come."

Harding joins a growing group of female coaches on NBA benches, including Boston's Kara Lawson, San Antonio's Becky Hammon, Dallas' Jenny Boucek and Cleveland's Lindsay Gottlieb.

Harding, 35, was most recently a player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers beginning in April. Prior to her promotion, she worked as the NBA's first African American female pro personnel scout for Philadelphia (2018-19) following a nine-year career in the WNBA. Harding averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 28.7 minutes in 270 career games for Minnesota (2007-08), Washington (2009-10), Atlanta (2011-12), Los Angeles (2013-14), New York (2016) and Phoenix (2016).

Harding was selected first overall in the 2007 WNBA draft after playing four seasons for Duke. She earned the 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year award, had her No. 10 retired and was enshrined in the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming the third women's basketball student-athlete to be inducted.

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer said Friday he has an inflamed bursa sac in his back and received a cortisone shot on Tuesday to clear up inflammation.

Scherzer told reporters he won't pitch Sunday but is hopeful it won't be too much longer.

The injury was originally diagnosed as a back strain, but Scherzer said the current diagnosis is scapuolothoracic bursitis.

Scherzer was placed on the injured list last week, retroactive to July 10, meaning he was eligible to come off Saturday.

Scherzer was 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA in his past nine starts before the All-Star break, and he withdrew from the All-Star Game due to the ailing back.