So much so that the form batsman of the past domestic summer almost passed on a selection trial.

The birth of his second child in June took priority until wife Julia told the Tasmanian to join the Australia A tour of England.

Captain Tim Paine is expected to name his former Lauderdale neighbour and wicket-keeper rival to play in the opening Test at Edgbaston on Thursday night.

Wade made just 10 and 7 in the Australians' intra-squad match last week on a pitch where only two batsman passed fifty.

"I knew I'd done enough over the last couple of years," Wade said.

"So to isolate it to one game on a pretty difficult pitch, I thought I played alright in that game.

"I thought I got in a couple of times, but I thought I got a couple of good balls.

"I was comfortable that I did everything that I could to get selected."

Wade delivered earlier for Australia A in one-day games, scoring 117 against Northants and 155 against Derbyshire before capping off the three-week tour with a 114 against the England Lions.

The 31-year-old appears back in favour with national selectors after venting his frustration in January at being overlooked for the two-Test Sri Lankan series.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns told Tasmanian coach Adam Griffith that Wade had to bat higher than No.6 for the state to push his case to return to the Australian Test team.

He was pushed into No.4 late in the season to finish the Sheffield Shield with 1021 runs at an average of 60.

But Wade expects to bat back down the order in the series against the English.

"I'm looking at myself as just a specialist batsmen on this tour and I think the selectors are as well," he said.

"I'm pretty comfortable that I have batted everywhere from three through to seven in first-class cricket and I've batted at seven in Test cricket.

"I'm pretty confident with my ability to bat with the tail and how to manipulate strike."

Wade will deputise should the incumbent Australian gloveman go down during or on the eve of one of the five Tests.

But the former 22-Test 'keeper admits that World Cup vice-captain Alex Carey could also come into the touring party behind the stumps for a recurrence of Paine's long-term finger injury.

"I'm enjoying running around in the field to be honest," Wade said.

"It's something I haven't done a heap of - I probably have only done 10 first-class games.

"So I'm enjoying being out there and having a run around."

Speculation that Wade's pile of runs were ignored over his indifferent record playing for Australia appears to have been quashed over his Ashes selection.

He had been left on the outer for more than two years over his rumoured banter on the field.

The notorious "homeworkgate" incident on the 2013 Indian tour first claimed Wade's spot in the squad in spite of two Test centuries.

The man who was forced to move Victoria when Tasmanian selectors first favoured Paine as a teenager got a second chance, replacing out-of-form Peter Nevill following an embarrasing 2016 Test loss to South Africa in Hobart, but runs later alluded Wade in his second Australian stint.

Wade appreciates his third time around more in the different role.

"If you're going to win The Ashes, you need a squad mentality," he said.

"We have 17 people here and whether I am on the ground or off it, I'll be giving whatever is needed to bring the Urn home."