Ashes 2013: England arrive in Perth October 25, 2013 - 7:34AM Low key: England captain Alastair Cook arrives at Perth International Airport. The English cricket team enjoyed a low-key arrival in to Perth early on Friday morning ahead of the upcoming Ashes series. The current holders of the urn touched down at 1.30am, minus star batsman Kevin Pietersen, with a small crowd consisting to greet them. They will have Friday off and then will train at the WACA Ground on Saturday and Sunday ahead of their three-day tour match against Western Australia starting on Thursday. Pietersen is expected to arrive in Australia on Sunday, having been granted compassionate leave following the death of a friend. He will travel to South Africa, his country of birth, where he will spend one day with friends before joining his teammates in Perth. He is expected to be available for the tour match. The other 16 players made their way quickly through the airport, saying very little to the media. After the game against WA, England will play a four-day game against an Australian A side in Hobart starting November 6. They then play a NSW XI at the SCG over four days starting November 13 in their last hit-out before the first Test starting at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 21. Alastair Cook is looking to captain the first English team since 1890 to win four consecutive Ashes series. They won the recent series played in England 3-0. However they have managed only five series wins in Australia in their past 17 attempts.