Aussie World Cup squad to visit Gallipoli

Wednesday, 24 April 2019:

Warriors coach JUSTIN LANGER hits balls for catching practice at the change of innings during the Sheffield Shield match between the Western Australia Warriors and the South Australia Redbacks at WACA Perth, Australia.
Warriors coach JUSTIN LANGER hits balls for catching practice at the change of innings during the Sheffield Shield match between the Western Australia Warriors and the South Australia Redbacks at WACA Perth, Australia.


Australia's World Cup squad will pay their respects at Gallipoli before arriving in England for the cricket tournament.

It's understood the 15-man squad, which assembles in Brisbane next week for a training camp prior to flying out for the 50-over showpiece, and support staff will stopover in Turkey and visit Anzac Cove.

Justin Langer's first assignment as national coach was last year's ODI tour of England, which was preceded by an emotive trip to World War I battlefields of Belgium and France.

Management has since been discreetly planning a multi-day visit to the Gallipoli Peninsula prior to the World Cup, the same detour that Steve Waugh's team made prior to winning the 2001 Ashes series.

Cricket Australia is keen to ensure the upcoming visit remains a private time for the team's reflection.

The 2001 Ashes squad was criticised for donning slouch hats and re-enacting a 1915 photo of soldiers playing cricket on Shell Green (a match that was an attempt to distract Turks from the imminent evacuation of Anzac troops).

The vast majority of players on Waugh's team regarded the Gallipoli visit as an educational and deeply moving experience.

"True bonding experiences stand the test of time and become part of you and, most certainly, visiting Gallipoli together on our way to England for the 2001 Ashes tour had a profound effect on most of the squad," Waugh wrote in his autobiography.

Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist later described the trip as "the most important day of my life", while Ricky Ponting noted it rammed home to the entire squad what the "Anzac spirit is all about".

Langer spoke earlier this year about how the 2018 Western Front tour was a "life-changing experience".

"We talked about humility and perspective, and understanding how lucky we are," he said earlier this year.

Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins headline the list of World Cup squad members who weren't part of that ODI touring party that visited Belgium and France.

Langer referenced the Anzac spirit during his first press conference after being appointed Darren Lehmann's successor.

The coach, his players and support staff visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra prior to this year's Test against Sri Lanka.

The West Australian's concept of "elite honesty" elicited plenty of jibes last year but he has helped improve the much-maligned culture of the team, which was laid bare by the Cape Town cheating scandal.

April 25, the date of the Gallipoli landings in 1915, is commemorated annually as the day on which Australia remembers the sacrifice of those Anzacs who served and died in war.






AAP






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