Nottinghamshire bowler Stuart Broad has backed the decision of the England management to allow him to sit out England’s final warm up game against Australia ‘A’ ahead of the first Ashes Test at The Gabba on Thursday.

Broad and Notts team mate Graeme Swann are amongst four bowlers to have travelled to Brisbane to acclimatise ahead of the start of cricket’s most prestigious Test series.

Both players are certain to feature in the opening Test and Broad hopes that the acclimatisation process will allow them to fire on all cylinders when the five-match series gets underway.

"We've had two fantastic games as a bowling group together. Now it's all about preparation for that first Test match and I see going up to Brisbane early as a great opportunity to get used to conditions," said Broad.

"We're going to have times where we're going to be spending a lot of time out in the sun and we need to make sure our bodies are 100% ready for that.

"Perth was a strong start for me personally. I didn't get too many wickets in Adelaide but I felt in good rhythm and hit the deck hard.

"We're full of confidence as a bowling unit. It's all about mental and physical preparation for the first Test match now."

Ashes Schedule

Thursday, 25 November 2010
First Test Match
Australia v England, Brisbane, 0:00

Friday, 03 December 2010
Second Test Match
Australia v England, Adelaide, 0:00

Thursday, 16 December 2010
Third Test Match
Australia v England, Perth, 2:30

Saturday, 25 December 2010
Fourth Test Match
Australia v England, Melbourne, 23:30

Sunday, 02 January 2011
Fifth Test Match
Australia v England, Sydney, 23:30