Paine was handed the gloves in a strong and in-form squad to take on the tourists in Hobart next week.
NSW all-rounder Moises Henriques will skipper the side, with batsmen Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Alex Doolan and Callum Ferguson all a chance to put their case forward for selection in the opening Ashes test at the Gabba.
But the selection of Paine is the most intriguing and seems to indicate the Tigers 'keeper will be the understudy to veteran Brad Haddin for the five-Test series against the Poms.
Paine has been hampered by injury for much of the last two summer's which saw Wade emerge as Australia's wicket-keeper before losing his spot to Haddin.
With just over three weeks before the first Test, National Selector John Inverarity said the opening rounds of the Sheffield Shield season and the Australia A fixture would have a huge bearing on the make-up of the Test side.
"Between 6-9 November there will be seven Australian first-class teams in action. These 77 cricketers will be competing hard and performances in all matches will be closely monitored," Inverarity said.
"We have struck a balance in what we think is the appropriate Australia A team to face England, while ensuring individuals have a solid preparation and chance to impress.
"There were clearly a number of players under consideration to play for Australia A in this match, however we have long been aware that 77 cricketers would be playing across these four days and due to various circumstances we have balanced our interests with what we feel is in the best interests for each player, their preparation and chance to push for higher honours.
"While these next couple of rounds of Shield cricket are important, the NSP is well advanced in its planning around the squad for the first Test."
The match is also seen as a chance for the top order batsmen to stake a claim for the vacant No.6 spot in the Test side.
"All of the top six batsmen have shown good form of late and will be looking to impress against a quality opposition as they strive for higher honours," Invevarity said.
"Moises Henriques will have a significant leadership opportunity by captaining this team against England while Glenn Maxwell gets a chance to support Moises as the team’s vice-captain and will play an important role as the spin bowling all-rounder in the side."
Australia A:
Moises Henriques (c), Glenn Maxwell, Trent Copeland, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Callum Ferguson, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine