🔗 Share this article

Brisbane hasn't been a city to give the Three Lions crucial hope for the Ashes

Following the loss to Australia in the first Test, the tourists have to bounce back before heading to the famous Gabba, a ground where victory has eluded England for over thirty years

Players representing England have frequently been lambs to the slaughter at the Gabbatoir

A Shining Knight's Triumph

Among a recent history of broken English hopes, hopes and athletes exists a motivational tale delivered by a shining knight

This marks the 15th anniversary of Sir Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 not out, preserving the initial Test from the 2010-11 series and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win in Australia in the past 38 years

Record-Breaking Performance

It was the beginning of Cook's triumphant Australian campaign; three hundreds accumulating 766 runs

Wally Hammond stands as the only Briton with higher run totals in a series down under

The English triumphed 3-1, where each success via comprehensive wins

They have not won a Test victory there since that historic campaign

Cook's Memories

"You forget the tough times, the tension and worry accompanying that success," Cook remembers

"With pride I remember. My contribution was substantial during a campaign where England won 3-1 down under and all three games was achieved comprehensively"

Path to Success

The path to down under success commenced well before following that year's Ashes in the UK

Though England triumphed, Cook averaged less than 25 managing only one innings exceeding half-century

He desired better

"Cricket is a team game, personal performance generates the feeling that personal responsibility matters," he explains

Technical Transformation

Shortly after the victory celebrations, he was back at work practicing numerous bowls during training with Graham Gooch

Early outcomes were encouraging

The batsman achieved three hundreds on overseas campaigns to South Africa and Bangladesh

Pivotal Instances

When Cook returned to home soil for the 2010 summer, Cook performed poorly

In eight innings facing these opponents, his best performance was 29

Without runs at the end of day two of the third Test versus Pakistan at The Oval, Cook believed he was playing his final Test performance before being dropped

"I was sitting at the bar, attempting to discover the resolution through drinking," he confesses

Critical Moment

His century guaranteed his seat in the squad down under

England continued their preparations by winning two and drawing one during preparatory contests down under

As the opening match began at the famous ground, they faced a Siddle hat-trick

Record-Breaking Stand

Just before the third day's close, Cook and Strauss opened England's second innings with a deficit of 221 runs

They achieved 19 without loss by day's end and followed up with a performance engraved in cricket memory

"I don't remember any instructions, anything of what we spoke about," recalls Cook

The left-handers contributed 188 for the first wicket

The 235 without dismissal represented the top score from an English player on Australian soil for 82 years

Total Command

England capitalised on an incredible start during the following Test in South Australia

When Anderson also nicked off the opposition player, the score read 2-3 and struggled throughout

He continued his Brisbane heroics with 148 in a famous match featuring Pietersen's destruction of the opposition bowlers

The Final Triumph

England could have retained the series in Western Australia, but Mitchell Johnson to indicate the trouble he would cause four years later

Then came arguably England's best performance during Ashes competition on Australian soil

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian sport, during Boxing Day, the home side were dismissed for 98

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, it was that. Incredulity reigned when play concluded," says Cook

Ultimate Success

Driven by determination to secure the Ashes, the batsman performed brilliantly at the Sydney Cricket Ground

The 189-run innings helped England reach 644, their highest total during Australian Tests

The uncertainty wasn't whether England would triumph the match and the Ashes, but when

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"When Tremlett got the last player to claim triumph, it represented an instant of pure elation"

Enduring Impact

The batsman received top accolades

The remaining seven years of his cricket journey included further accomplishments

Post-cricket career, he received a knighthood for cricket contributions

"{I couldn't have played any better|