The 24-year-old left-arm quick has been slowly but steadily building up his workload in Sydney and this week flew to Brisbane to prepare for the series involving Zimbabwe and South Africa after he was named in Australia's one-day squad for the first time since last year's Champion's Trophy.

Since injuring his back during the 2013 Ashes in England, Starc has come back through the World Twenty20 and the Indian Premier League, but he is in need of match conditioning and his return to the 50-over format marks another milestone in his comeback.

With Ryan Harris, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird out of the reckoning for the next Test series, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October, there are pace spots up for grabs and Starc could be an asset on flat pitches given he can bowl dangerous reverse swing and has done well in the UAE before, albeit in the short formats. He took 13 wickets in four matches at an average of 14 in an ODI series against Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2012, and is expected to feature prominently in Australia's World Cup plans.

Mitchell Johnson, also bound for Zimbabwe, is the last man standing from the Test attack that finished the memorable series victory in South Africa earlier this year.

The left-armer who was on standby for the incomparable Johnson last summer, Doug Bollinger, continues to hope for an Australian recall with a five-wicket haul for Kent in county cricket, after a month on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

''I may have celebrated my 33rd birthday last week but I am not dead and buried. I'd love to play for Australia again,'' Bollinger said after collecting his best one-day figures of 5-35 against Glamorgan.

Peter Siddle, who returned from a county stint to work on regaining his strength and pace, is likely to rejoin the Test attack for the Pakistan series. Elsewhere in the fast bowling ranks, impressive NSW seamer Josh Hazlewood is two weeks into his six-week recovery from a side strain, while Pat Cummins is on track to play for NSW in the domestic one-day carnival in October after playing in the recent one-dayers for Australia A against India A and the national performance squad.

On the opening day of Australia A's unofficial Test against South Africa A in Townsville on Thursday, wicketkeeper Peter Nevill top-scored for the home side with 53 in a first innings total of 239. Nevill and WA gloveman Sam Whiteman are both contenders in the battle to succeed Brad Haddin behind the stumps when the veteran eventually retires.

Matthew Wade, who was Australia's preferred gloveman in all three formats just 18 months ago, is playing for Australia A as a specialist batsman, and made 34 at No. 5 in the first innings.

The triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe, which starts on August 25, is Australia's first trip to the African nation since 2004, when the Tests were called off in the midst of a strike by Zimbabwe's best players, who had claimed racially biased selection.

Ominously for Zimbabwe, ranked 10th in ODIs, it is coming off a drawn series against World Cup qualifier Afghanistan (ranked 11). Australia and South Africa are No. 1 and No. 4, respectively.