Sapping heat, crocodiles await in England's final Ashes warmup

Britain Cricket - England Nets & Press Conference - Headingley - 22/5/17 England's Joe Root and Jos Buttler play football during nets Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff Livepic

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - England's final warmup match before taking on Australia in the Ashes will see them play in the sweltering heat of the northern Queensland city of Townsville, where huge crocodiles bathing in local waters are a common sighting.

With temperatures regularly pushing into the high 30s in November in Townsville, Joe Root's team should be well acclimatised by the time they head south to Brisbane for the first test at the Gabba starting on Nov. 23.