🔗 Share this article

Brisbane hasn't been a place that offers the English team crucial confidence in the series

Following the loss to the hosts at the series start, the visiting team have to bounce back ahead of visiting Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where victory has eluded England for decades

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

A Shining Knight's Achievement

Throughout modern times of English disappointments, aspirations and players is a source of inspiration delivered by a shining knight

This marks 15 years since Sir Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba via a landmark unbeaten 235, preserving the initial Test of 2010-11 and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win down under over nearly four decades

Record-Breaking Performance

It commenced of Cook's triumphant tour of Australia; three hundred-plus scores and 766 runs

The legendary Hammond remains the sole English player who has made more runs during a Test series on Australian soil

The English triumphed 3-1, with every win via comprehensive wins

England hasn't achieved a Test here since that memorable series

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the challenging periods, the tension and worry that went into that," Cook recalls

"With pride I remember. I made an important impact in a tournament that saw England won 3-1 in Australia and all three games came through innings wins"

The Road to Greatness

His journey to his Australian epic started a year and a half before at the end of the 2009 series in England

Despite English victory, the opening batsman averaged less than 25 achieving merely one performance exceeding half-century

He wanted more

"Cricket is a team game, personal performance does make you feel that personal responsibility matters," he states

Technical Transformation

Just 48 hours following the victory celebrations, he was back facing countless of balls in the nets with Graham Gooch

Early outcomes were encouraging

He scored three hundreds on overseas campaigns to South Africa and Bangladesh

Career-Defining Moments

When Cook returned to England during the 2010 season, the left-hander struggled significantly

During eight batting opportunities facing these opponents, his best performance was 29

Without runs at the end of the second day's play during the final Test facing Pakistan in London, Cook was convinced this would be his last Test innings before being dropped

"There I was in the bar, attempting to discover the solution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he admits

The Turning Point

His century ensured his position in the squad down under

Preparation continued by winning two and drawing one of their warm-up games in Australia

Come the first Test in Brisbane, they faced a Siddle hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

An hour before the end of the third day, the opening pair opened England's second innings trailing by 221 runs

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

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

Both left-handed batsmen accumulated 188 runs in their partnership

The 235 without dismissal was the highest score by an Englishman down under since the 1930s

Complete Control

England capitalised on an incredible start in the second match at Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket Michael Clarke, the hosts stood at 2-3 and struggled throughout

The batsman proceeded his Brisbane heroics by scoring 148 during a memorable Test featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling

Series Conclusion

Victory was possible the Ashes in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc that would come later

What followed was arguably England's best performance of Ashes cricket in Australia

In Melbourne, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian sport, during Boxing Day, the home side collapsed to 98 all out

"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, it was that. Incredulity reigned as the day ended," says Cook

The Final Victory

Driven by determination to win the urn, the batsman performed brilliantly at the SCG

His score of 189 helped England reach 644, their record innings on Australian soil

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

"The feeling was unbelievable," Cook remembers

"After Tremlett dismissed Michael Beer to claim triumph, that was a time of complete happiness"

Historical Significance

Cook was player of the series

The remaining seven years of his cricket journey included other milestones

After retiring internationally, Cook was knighted for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|