Kevin Pietersen joins England teammates in Perth

London: England batsman Kevin Pietersen has joined up with his teammates in Perth after arriving late via South Africa, as he attended a memorial service for a late friend of his before heading to Australia for the Ashes series.

According to the Mirror, the batsman was allowed compassionate leave following the death of a friend but is now with Andy Flower`s squad in Perth. His winter`s work will also include the World T20 tournament in Bangladesh , where he should be in full kit with a bat in his hand rather than in the TV studio acting as a pundit, the report said. England are drawn against New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka in their group, plus another qualifier, which could be seen as a slightly easier group by virtue of missing current champions the West Indies plus India and Australia, the report added. England will play all their group matches in Chittagong with the first match against the Kiwis on March 22, and the final on April 6, according to the report.