Gallipoli visit sees Australian World Cup squad reflect on sacrifice and Anzac spirit

Pat Cummins wants the Anzac spirit to fuel Australia’s World Cup defence, as Steve Smith and David Warner head into cricket’s version of enemy territory for the first time since their ball-tampering suspensions.

Australia’s World Cup cricket squad visited Gallipoli to pay their respects as a team.

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Pat Cummins wants the Anzac spirit to fuel Australia’s World Cup defence as Steve Smith and David Warner head into cricket’s version of enemy territory for the first time since their ball-tampering suspensions.

Cummins said the No. 1 takeaway from this week’s Gallipoli camp was the fighting values from World War I, adamant they could deliver inspiration during challenging moments throughout the showpiece tournament.

The Australian cricket team visited Gallipoli on route to England for the World Cup.

“You hear some of the (war) stories and a lot of them aren’t necessarily best mates, but they’ve got each other’s back when the going gets tough,” Cummins said in Gallipoli.

“Just sticking it out, punching above their weight (and) doing all of those things. No doubt there’s going to times in the World Cup where we’ll be up against it, and it’s about pulling together like the Anzacs did.”

Glenn Maxwell takes a quiet moment to remember the fallen.

None of Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad had previously visited Turkey but they were moved by the treks through the battlefields. The camp culminated in an emotional ceremony at Lone Pine Cemetery.

Cummins and Adam Zampa laid a flower wreath, which read ‘Australian Cricket Team, Lille to Lord’s, Lest We Forget’ and the team recited The Ode and had a minute’s silence.

“Walking along all the graves and learning all the different stories … (it was) a really special moment and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Cummins said.

Australia’s players and support staff were moved by the treks through the battlefields.

Australia flew from Istanbul to London on Wednesday night (UK time) and plays the West Indies on Wednesday in the first of three practice matches in Southampton.

Cummins said the bonding experience — in both Gallipoli and at last week’s camp in Brisbane — was crucial.

“Spending time together in a place like this, you can’t help but learn something about yourself and about your teammates,” Cummins said.

“(It was) a really special moment and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Cummins said.

“But learning about the Anzac spirit — the fight, the mateship, all the incredible values they held when they fought here in 1915 — it sets a pretty good framework for how we want to conduct ourselves and play our cricket.

“The first thing that struck me when we arrived was just the challenge that was ahead of the Anzacs.

“Landing at Anzac Cove, it’s just incredibly steep. They had three ridges to get over basically, that was the goal for the day, and walking across the top of them it’s just a huge task.

The camp culminated in an emotional ceremony at Lone Pine Cemetery.

“That was probably the thing that I didn’t understand fully until I came over here. The obvious one is the mateship, the loss of your best mate standing there fighting alongside him, all the values that we hold as Australians just learning that a lot of them originated from here.”

Last year coach Justin Langer took his squad to the Western Front where they learnt about Albert Jacka, recipient of the Victoria Cross, and this week they traced his story back to Gallipoli.

Cummins said the World Cup was now “all we talk about” with Australia’s campaign beginning against Afghanistan on June 1 in Bristol.

“It feels so close, it’s been in our diaries for years and now it’s here,” he said.

Originally published as Gallipoli visit sees Australian World Cup squad reflect on sacrifice and Anzac spirit