Unconvincing auditions from rival contenders prompted Tim Paine's shock recall as a wildcard wicketkeeper for the Ashes opener, nine months after he contemplated retirement and seven years after his most recent Test.
Paine has been named as Tasmanian teammate Matthew Wade's replacement behind the stumps, while Shaun Marsh has been recalled for the eighth time in his career.
Debutant Cameron Bancroft will open in the Gabba clash that starts on Thursday, claiming out-of-form youngster Matthew Renshaw's place in the side.
Trevor Hohns' 13-man squad for the first and second Tests against England also features reserve pacemen Jackson Bird and Chadd Sayers, while there have been six changes to the incumbent Test XI that defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets.
"It took us quite a while because there were several contenders for several positions," chairman of selectors Hohns admitted.
"There were a lot of underperformers as well, so we really didn't have anybody jumping out at us apart from Cameron Bancroft, who put a case forward that was irresistible.
"We want to raise the bar .. not (reward) mediocre performances."
Wade, Peter Nevill and Alex Carey were overlooked in favour of Paine, a 32-year-old who has posted one century from 91 first-class games.
"It was fairly tough. We had a lengthy debate about the wicketkeeping position," Hohns said.
"He (Paine) is regarded as the best gloveman in the country ... (and another factor were) the unconvincing performance of other wicketkeeping contenders."
Steve Smith indicated he was happy with the squad, noting it'd be up to the newcomers to perform to ensure selectors pick and stick.
Paine was left out of Tasmania's Sheffield Shield side earlier this season, with Wade behind the stumps for the state.
He instead faced England in a tour game at Adelaide Oval then featured in the most recent Shield round as a batsman.
"His batting has been pretty good of late," Hohns said.
Paine's four Tests all came in 2010, the same year he suffered a broken finger. It became a recurring injury that required multiple rounds of surgery and threatened to end his career.
Paine recovered but earlier this year contemplated shifting to Melbourne for a job with Kookaburra, having sensed his professional days were numbered after playing three Shield games in 2016-17.
Marsh beat a handful of contenders for the No.6 spot.
"Shaun is playing very well at the moment ... he is a versatile player who can slot in anywhere in the batting order," Hohns said, lamenting the lack of young batsmen beating down the door.
The veteran is a much-maligned figure among Australian cricket fans but his recent form, described as career-best by state coach Justin Langer, includes a Shield knock of 91 against the Test attack in Sydney.
Bancroft carried his bat in that same game, scoring a total of 162 runs in his two digs against NSW. He backed it up with an unbeaten 228 against South Australia, all but demanding selection.
Australia XIII: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.
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