Waugh to mentor Australia's men's Ashes campaign

Australia's Ashes campaign will be boosted by the presence of Test legend Steve Waugh with the former captain to act as a mentor during the six-week tour.

Australia captain Tim Paine confirmed Waugh – the last Australia captain to win the Ashes in England in 2001 – will join the Test side from the opening Test in Birmingham, beginning August 1.

Waugh is the latest former player to be involved in the Australia setup under head coach Justin Langer, joining the likes of Matthew Hayden and Mitchell Johnson in India earlier this year and Ricky Ponting during the ongoing World Cup.

Waugh, who won eight Ashes series – twice as skipper – will be invaluable for Paine and his leadership team as they attempt to win the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years.

"I know it is something that 'JL' and myself have been quite big on, that is to try and get some of our past legends in and around the team," Paine told Nine News in Bristol, where he's with the Australia A squad.

"During the World Cup as well, we have had Ricky (Ponting), and now with the Test series we are very fortunate to have Steve Waugh who is, obviously, a legend and is going to be great service for myself as a leader and captain.

"I think to have someone like him around during a Test series is going to be great for our whole group.

"I know I will be trying to bounce off him as much as I can. As I said, coming to England at times, particularly with the pressure and scrutiny that is around the team at the moment, I think he is someone who is regarded for handling that sort of stuff really well.

"For guys like myself and (Steve) Smith and (David) Warner who are quite experienced, it will be great. It's also going to be great for some of our younger players as well."

Like his predecessor Darren Lehmann, Langer has encouraged former Australia players to mix with the current squad which continues to rebuild its image after the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town 15 months ago.

"During the summer we had plenty of guys who wanted to come and support the Australian Cricket Team," Langer said in India in February. 

"We love having them around, whether it's 'Haydos', 'Punter' (Ponting), Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Simon Katich.

"It's like having all the Australian brothers around.

"Whoever wants to come around and help support us and get better – they're always welcome."

Australia's Ashes squad will assemble in Southampton at the conclusion of the 'all-star' four-day clash between an Australian XI and Australia A, which begins on July 23.