Cup hopefuls to experience Gallipoli

Australia fly out of Brisbane tonight for a five-month tour of the UK where they will contest the World Cup and Ashes, but will stop first in Turkey to visit the First World War battlegrounds on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The multi-day trip that will include ANZAC Cove will be the first for an Australian men's cricket team since Steve Waugh led his side there in 2001.

Langer, who was part of that 2001 Ashes-winning side, missed the Gallipoli trip as he was not part of the one-day squad that preceded the Ashes Tests, something he this week labelled "one of the regrets of my career".

"Where we are right now, on the way to England for a long campaign representing our country, hopefully it will be a real catalyst for gelling together and success," Langer said on SEN's Whateley program this week.

It will follow the tour to the WWI battlefields of northern France the squad made last winter ahead of Langer's first series in charge where players learned lessons in "humility and perspective, and understanding how lucky we are".

"We took the boys to the Western Front last year on the way to England and we've had a theme 'From Lille to Lord's' ever since, with the World Cup final at Lord's on July 14," Langer explained.

"It's very sobering, and it was an incredible life experience for the boys, and also it gelled the team together with different experiences and interpretations of our history.

"We talk a lot about our history and the humility of times before."

Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are among those in the World Cup squad not on last winter's tour of the Western Front.

The 2001 Gallipoli tourists certainly found visiting ANZAC Cove a humbling experience that has stuck with them throughout their lives.

Adam Gilchrist described it as "the most important day of my life" to that point, while in his subsequent autobiography 'Out of My Comfort Zone', Steve Waugh wrote of how it had galvanised the team.

"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 the limited-overs tournament (that preceded the Ashes Tests) we put to good use the increased unity we had gained from Gallipoli, and dominated our matches.

"We elevated the aggressiveness in our play and tried to consume our opposition as quickly and ruthlessly as possible."

Image Id: https://www.cricket.com.au/~/media/News/2015/04/23anzac15?la=en&hash=5E011A57BCB8AC9DDD097E044B31EC72D212BB8A Image Caption: The 2001 Australians at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli // Getty

Former skipper Ricky Ponting, who join this year's World Cup campaign as an assistant coach, recalled: "The thing that was really rammed home to us on that trip was what the ANZAC spirit is all about.

"It really does typify even the modern Australian person," Ponting said. "I've been lucky enough to travel around the world and play cricket against a lot of opposition teams in a lot of different countries and you just don't see that same sort of spirit in a lot of people from other countries.

"The will to want to do whatever you can for your mate, to help your mate in a time of crisis."

Langer and his group will treat the visit with reverence, and the coach won't be making any rousing speeches to his players

"From everything I know about it there's very few words that need to be said when you get there," Langer said.

"It was a very emotional time for a lot of the players and support staff (in 2001). Some of these experiences, the less words the better."

After the three-day visit, the Australian World Cup squad will touch down in England in mid-May. Australia has arranged an unofficial 50-over practice match with the West Indies on May 22, which is in addition to matches organised by the ICC against England on May 25 and Sri Lanka on May 27.

Australia start their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on July 1 in Bristol. Australia's World Cup matches and the finals will be broadcast on the Nine Network, while Fox Sports and Kayo will carry coverage of every match from the 50-over showpiece event.

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

May 22: (warm-up) Australia v West Indies, Southampton

May 25: (warm-up) England v Australia, Southampton

May 27: (warm-up) Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton

June 1: Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol (D/N)

June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge

June 9: India v Australia, The Oval

June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton

June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

HERE