The world's best pace bowler and Shane Warne's heir apparent have been given the chance to terrorise a severely understrength Zimbabwe when Australia tours there next month.

Australian selectors recalled paceman Glenn McGrath after a nine-month injury layoff to both the Test and one-day squads to play Zimbabwe.

And Victorian leg-spinner Cameron White was also named in the 13-man Test squad after Stuart MacGill withdrew from the tour of the troubled African nation on moral grounds.

Queensland all-rounder Andrew Symonds and South Australian paceman Shaun Tait have been omitted from the Test squad which toured Sri Lanka last month.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said the Zimbabwe tour was the perfect opportunity for McGrath, who has been sidelined with an ankle problem, to ease his way back into the international arena.

McGrath will also have the chance to claim wickets galore against a Zimbabwe team likely to be without 15 of its leading players, who are refusing to play amid claims of racially-biased selection policy.

"Glenn's 100 per cent fit and ready to go so it's sensible that he returns to the squad given his prior status as the premier fast bowler in the world," Hohns said.

"With the short nature of the tour it's a good opportunity for Glenn to ease his way back into competitive cricket and it gives us an opportunity to assess how well he is going with a view to the next 12 months."

MacGill's decision to become Australian cricket's first conscientious objector has given 20-year-old White the chance to take his first step on what most believe will be a long international career.

White, who missed out on a Cricket Australia contract last week, has been touted as the long-term successor to Warne and MacGill.

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