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

Following the loss to Australia at the series start, the tourists must stir themselves before heading to the Gabba, a stadium where England have not won for over thirty years

Players representing England have frequently been easy prey at the Gabbatoir

The Inspirational Success

Within recent memory of English disappointments, hopes and athletes lies an inspirational story provided by a cricket hero

Today commemorates a decade and a half after Sir Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 not out, rescuing the opening match of 2010-11 establishing England's trajectory to their only Ashes series win down under during recent memory

Historic Achievement

It was the beginning of Cook's triumphant circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds totaling 766 runs

Wally Hammond is the only Englishman who has made more runs in a series down under

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

England hasn't achieved a Test here since those glory days

Personal Reflections

"One tends to forget the challenging periods, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," Cook remembers

"With pride I remember. My contribution was substantial during a campaign where the English secured a 3-1 victory on Australian soil with every match were won by an innings"

Path to Success

The path to down under success began 18 months earlier following the 2009 series in the UK

Despite English victory, the opener had an average below 25 managing only one innings over fifty

He wanted more

"Cricket is a team game, the individuality creates the sensation that you must contribute adequately," he notes

Game Improvement

Shortly after the triumphant events, he returned facing countless deliveries in practice under Graham Gooch's guidance

The initial results proved positive

He scored three hundred-run innings on overseas campaigns against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Career-Defining Moments

When Cook returned to British conditions for the 2010 summer, Cook performed poorly

During eight batting opportunities against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance reached only 29

Scoreless overnight after the second day of the third Test facing Pakistan in London, Cook was convinced this would be his concluding international appearance ahead of potential omission

"I found myself at the bar, attempting to discover the answer in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals

Decisive Instance

Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour

England continued their preparations through successful warm-ups in practice matches in Australia

Come the first Test in Brisbane, they were hit by a Siddle hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

Just before the end of the third day, both batsmen opened England's second innings trailing by 221 runs

They achieved 19 without loss by day's end then continued through a demonstration engraved in cricket memory

"I cannot recall the messages, our discussions," Cook remembers

Both left-handed batsmen added 188 together

His unbeaten 235 was the highest score by an Englishman in Australia since the 1930s

Series Dominance

The English took advantage of an astonishing first morning during the following Test in Adelaide

When Anderson also nicked off the opposition player, Australia were 2-3 and couldn't recover

Cook followed up his Brisbane heroics through a 148-run innings in a famous match for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the opposition bowlers

Series Conclusion

The English might have secured the Ashes in Perth, but Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc that would come later

Then came arguably England's best performance in Ashes history on Australian soil

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the enormous ground of Australian cricket, and on Boxing Day, the home side collapsed to 98 all out

"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, this was it. Amazement prevailed as the day ended," says Cook

Series Conclusion

Fuelled by the focus to claim victory, Cook was at it again in Sydney

His score of 189 helped England reach 644, their highest total in a Test in Australia

The question was not if victory would come the match and the Ashes, but the timing

"The feeling was unbelievable," says Cook

"When Tremlett got Michael Beer to win the match, it was a moment of pure elation"

Enduring Impact

Cook was player of the series

The remaining seven years of his cricket journey featured further accomplishments

Post-cricket career, Cook was knighted for sporting achievements

"{I couldn't have played any better|