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Brisbane is not a city to give England some much-needed hope for the Ashes

After defeat by the Australian side in the first Test, England have to bounce back ahead of visiting Brisbane's Gabba, a stadium where the English haven't triumphed for over thirty years

Men wearing three lions have habitually been outmatched opponents at the Gabbatoir

The Inspirational Achievement

Among a recent history of dashed English dreams, hopes and athletes lies an inspirational story achieved by a cricket hero

This marks 15 years since Sir Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba with a career-defining unbeaten 235, saving the first Test from the 2010-11 series and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win down under in the past 38 years

Unforgettable Series

It commenced of his successful Australian campaign; three hundred-plus scores accumulating 766 runs

The legendary Hammond is the only Englishman with higher run totals in a series on Australian soil

England won 3-1, where each success by an innings

The team hasn't secured success at this venue since that historic campaign

Personal Reflections

"People overlook the difficult moments, the apprehension and concern involved in that achievement," Cook remembers

"I look back with pride. I made an important impact in a series when the English secured a 3-1 victory on Australian soil with every match were won by an innings"

The Road to Greatness

The path to his Australian epic commenced well before following that year's Ashes in the UK

Though England triumphed, Cook scored under 25 per innings with just one score over fifty

He wanted more

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

Technical Transformation

Just 48 hours following the triumphant events, he returned facing countless bowls during training under Graham Gooch's guidance

Beginning performances showed promise

The batsman achieved three centuries during winter tours to South Africa and Bangladesh

Career-Defining Moments

After coming back to home soil for that year's summer, Cook had a "stinker"

Across eight appearances versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings was 29

Scoreless overnight at the end of the second day's play of the third Test versus Pakistan in London, Cook believed this would be his last Test innings before being dropped

"I was sitting in the bar, attempting to discover the answer by drowning sorrows," he reveals

The Turning Point

The 110-run innings secured his place on the plane to Australia

England continued their preparations with two victories and one draw during preparatory contests on Australian soil

As the opening match began in Brisbane, they were hit by a Siddle hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

Just before the end of the third day, Cook and Strauss began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 at stumps then continued with an exhibition engraved in cricket memory

"My memory doesn't retain any instructions, anything of what we spoke about," Cook remembers

Both left-handed batsmen accumulated 188 runs together

His unbeaten 235 was the highest score by an Englishman on Australian soil for 82 years

Complete Control

England capitalised on a remarkable opening session in the second match in South Australia

When Anderson also nicked off the Australian batsman, the hosts stood at 2-3 and struggled throughout

Cook followed up his Queensland achievement by scoring 148 during a memorable Test highlighting Pietersen's dominance over the Australian bowling

The Final Triumph

England could have retained the Ashes in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to indicate the trouble that would come later

Then came arguably England's best performance of Ashes cricket down under

In Melbourne, the massive stadium of Australian sport, on the holiday, the hosts collapsed to 98 all out

"For ideal Boxing Days, it was that. Incredulity reigned as the day ended," Cook remembers

Series Conclusion

Motivated by purpose to claim victory, the batsman performed brilliantly in Sydney

The 189-run innings contributed to England's 644, their record innings during Australian Tests

The question was not if England would win both match and urn, rather when

"The atmosphere was incredible," Cook remembers

"When Tremlett got Michael Beer to win the match, it represented an instant of complete happiness"

Enduring Impact

Cook was player of the series

The subsequent seven years of his Test career included other milestones

Following his international retirement, Cook was knighted for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|