England cricket team arrive in Australia for high-stakes Ashes tour ENGLAND'S cricketers have arrived in Perth to begin preparations for next month's return Ashes Series giving the tourists the jump on the Australians who are still stuck playing the one-day format. All of England's Test squad aside from star batsman Kevin Pietersen arrived in Perth just before 12.30am on Friday morning after flying firstly from London to Dubai, and then Dubai to Perth. Pietersen is set to join his teammates on Sunday after captain Alastair Cook, Matt Prior, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett and Jonathan Flynn all flew in together. Joining them were the uncapped Ben Stokes, Boyd Rankin, Michael Carberry and Gary Balance. The England squad will now spend the day on Friday recovering from the transit to Australia and trying to sleep off some jet lag before preparations begin for the First Ashes Test at the Gabba on November 21. Captain Cook will officially front the Australian media for the first time on Saturday before training for the team commences at the WACA Ground on Sunday ahead of a three-day Tour Match against a Western Australia XI that begins in Perth on Thursday. England's Stuart Broad walks through the arrival hall at Perth International airport Friday. England's preparations will then continue with four-day matches against Australia A in Hobart and against a NSW XI at the SCG ahead of the First Test. By arriving in Perth already and preparing for the Tour match against WA next week, there's little question that England has got the jump in preparations for the upcoming Ashes Series. No Australian player at present is playing any cricket in white clothing with the national team is in India playing in a meaningless, albeit entertaining, series of one-day matches and the rest of the country's players are taking part in a Ryobi Cup competition on Sydney grade cricket grounds. While some Australians, including George Bailey and Mitchell Johnson, are performing well in India at the moment making a strong case for an Ashes call-up, the fact is they are playing one-day cricket on wickets that in no way, shape or form resemble those in Australia. Then there is the rest of the Australian players who have been taking part in the revamped, and virtually invisible, Ryobi Cup competition in Sydney that has been played on suburban grounds where again the wickets are nothing like that will be presented for Test match cricket. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: (L-R) Boyd Rankin, Steven Finn, Michal Carberry, Jonathan Trott, Monty Panesar, Ben Stokes, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Alastair Cook, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett England's Ashes squad at Lord's before their departure to Australia. As of next Thursday, England will begin playing in longer formats of the game and remarkably as the tourists they will have a longer preparation for the Ashes in Australia in white clothing than the home side. Broad became Australia's public enemy No. 1 when he failed to walk when clearly edging a ball to Australian skipper Michael Clarke during the recent Ashes Series in England. The 27-year-old quick bowler knows he will cop some stick from Australian fans this summer, but that doesn't bother him in the slightest. "It was an all right flight, but long," Broad said. I'm expecting a lively reception from the crowds out here, but that's all in good fun. Off-spinner Swann was one of Australia's main tormentors in England over the winter and he's looking forward to backing that up again this summer. England's captain Alastair Cook walks through the arrival hall at Perth International airport. "It feels like only two seconds since we played the last series back home, but it's good to be here and everyone is fresh and ready to go," Swann said. "We are always confident of winning and if we play our best cricket then it should be a great series," Bell said. Bell was England's standout batsman in the recent Ashes Series as well and could again hold the key for the tourists with the bat this summer, and he's glad to be in Australia to begin preparations a month out from the opening Test. I'm excited for the summer ahead here in Australia and it's going to be a great Test series. You always come on tours to win and it's obviously a good month of preparation now ahead of us before an exciting Test series. England's Joe Root walks through the arrival hall at Perth International airport.