Gallipoli Visit Inspires Aussies Ahead of World Cup

Their World Cup preparations in full swing, defending champions Australia made a four-day stopover in Turkey on their way here to visit the storied Gallipoli peninsula.

The Australian team touched down in England on Friday but decided to bond as a unit in the Gallipoli peninsula in southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, which holds great significance in Australia’s history as this was the battleground where 11,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost their lives in a disastrous Allied military offensive during World War I.

Vice-captain and star pacer Pat Cummins described the exercise as a “really special moment.”

“Just before we left, we laid a wreath and recited the ode and just had a minute’s silence,” Cummins was quoted as saying by www.cricket.com.au from Turkey this week. “Just had a really special moment. One I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Just spending time together in a place like this, you can’t help but learn something about yourself, about your teammates.