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Brisbane is not a place that offers England badly required Ashes optimism

After defeat by the hosts at the series start, England must stir themselves for a trip to Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where England have not won for decades

Players representing England have habitually been easy prey at this challenging venue

Cook's Memorable Success

Among a recent history of dashed English dreams, dreams and bodies lies an inspirational story delivered by a shining knight

This marks 15 years since the legendary Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 without loss, rescuing the opening match of 2010-11 and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win in Australia during recent memory

Unforgettable Series

It commenced of his successful tour of Australia; three hundreds totaling 766 runs

Wally Hammond remains the sole English player who has made more runs during a Test series down under

Victory came 3-1, with all victories via comprehensive wins

The team hasn't secured a Test victory there since that memorable series

Cook's Memories

"People overlook the challenging periods, the nervousness and anxiety involved in that achievement," Cook recalls

"I look back with pride. I made an important impact in a tournament that saw England triumphed 3-1 on Australian soil where each victory came through innings wins"

The Road to Greatness

Cook's road to down under success commenced well before at the end of that year's Ashes in the UK

Though England triumphed, Cook scored under 25 per innings managing only one innings exceeding half-century

He sought improvement

"Despite cricket's collective nature, individual contribution creates the sensation that you must contribute adequately," he states

Game Improvement

Shortly after the triumphant events, he was back at work practicing numerous bowls during training alongside Graham Gooch

The initial results showed promise

Cook made three hundreds on the 2009-10 winter tours against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Pivotal Instances

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

During eight batting opportunities versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance totaled just 29 runs

Without runs at the end of day two in the third match against Pakistan at The Oval, the batsman felt certain it might be his concluding international appearance before being dropped

"There I was in the bar, trying to find the answer in the bottom of a beer bottle," he admits

The Turning Point

Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour

Preparation continued by winning two and drawing one in practice matches in Australia

As the opening match began at the famous ground, they faced three wickets from Siddle

Memorable Collaboration

Shortly prior to day three's conclusion, Cook and Strauss began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 at stumps and proceeded with an exhibition engraved in cricket memory

"I don't remember the messages, our discussions," Cook remembers

The opening pair contributed 188 together

His unbeaten 235 stood as the best performance by an Englishman down under in eight decades

Series Dominance

England exploited an astonishing first morning during the following Test at Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket the Australian batsman, the hosts stood at 2-3 and couldn't recover

The batsman proceeded his Brisbane heroics by scoring 148 in a famous match highlighting Pietersen's dominance over the Australian bowling

Ultimate Victory

England could have retained the Ashes in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc from future encounters

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

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, during Boxing Day, the Australian team were blown away for 98

"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, that defined it. Amazement prevailed at the end of the day," Cook remembers

Ultimate Success

Motivated by purpose to claim victory, Cook excelled once more in Sydney

His score of 189 helped England reach 644, their highest total during Australian Tests

The uncertainty wasn't if victory would come the match and the Ashes, rather when

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"After Tremlett dismissed the last player to secure victory, that was a time of absolute joy"

Enduring Impact

Cook was player of the series

The subsequent seven years in his international career featured further accomplishments

Following his international retirement, he was honored for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|