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Australia's banned trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are all set to start the Ashes series versus England next week after being named in a 17-man squad.

There were few doubts about the selections of the former leadership duo of Smith and Warner, whose returns to international cricket came at the World Cup, but Bancroft came up on the rails to make the party for the five-match series starting at Edgbaston next Thursday.

'David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft have forced their way back in to the Test squad through the excellence of their recent performances,' said Australia's chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns.

Steve Smith is back in the Australia Test squad for the first time since he was sacked as captain

The Australian side line up for the Brad Haddin XI and Graeme Hick XI match this week

'David and Steve also have the advantage of being proven players at Test level while Cameron has produced impressive numbers for county side Durham this season and his innings in the intra-squad match in Southampton on a tough pitch was outstanding and showed his quality.'

Bancroft made an unbeaten 93 on a surface Australia's captain Tim Paine said was 'bordering on dangerous'.

Fast bowler James Pattinson is set for a first Test appearance in three years, and his first in Ashes cricket since 2013, after being one of the other standout performers at the Ageas Bowl.

'James Pattinson has demanded inclusion after impressing everyone on the Australia A tour with his pace and control, following on from a good season at home for Victoria, and he returns to the Test squad, as does Peter Siddle, who has been in fine form in county cricket for Essex,' Hohns continued.

'Josh Hazlewood comes back after missing the Sri Lanka Test series and the World Cup as he recovered from a back injury and James, Peter and Josh, plus Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Michael Neser form a strong seam attack, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh also returning to the squad after impressing with bat and ball on the Australia A tour. 

Cameron Bancroft is back in the Test team after hitting an unbeaten 93 in Southampton

David Warner scored a fifty and is back in the Test side for the first time since March 2018

'We have opted to select one frontline spinner in Nathan Lyon. 

'We have faith in his ability, we know our strength lies in our pace attack and we have Marnus Labuschagne's leg-spin as another spin option as he has bowled almost 200 overs for county side Glamorgan in first-class cricket this season.

'Matthew Wade fully deserves his recall as he has made an irresistible case for inclusion through sheer weight of runs with 1021 first-class runs at home last summer followed by three hundreds on the Australia A tour, including an excellent 114 against the England Lions at Canterbury last week.

'It has been a difficult task to reduce the 25-player squad here in Southampton down to 17 and those who have not made the final Ashes party are all desperately unlucky. 

'However, that problem also highlights that we have a degree of depth to select from and that is a terrific positive.

Matthew Wade has been picked as the reserve wicketkeeper ahead of Alex Carey

Nathan Lyon is Australia's only spinner in a pace-heavy bowling attack for the Ashes

'We have not won an Ashes series in the United Kingdom since 2001 but we are confident that this group of players can break that cycle and ensure we retain the urn that we won at home in the summer of 2017-18.'

Australia's decision to select an inflated squad of 17 players is reflective of a schedule of five Tests in less than seven weeks.

One player who is overlooked, however, is Alex Carey, one of his country's premier performers at the World Cup.

The wicketkeeper-batsman will now hook up with Sussex to honour his Twenty20 contract.