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Brisbane is not a city to give England badly required hope for the Ashes

After defeat by Australia at the series start, the visiting team need to regroup before heading to the famous Gabba, a stadium where victory has eluded England since 1986

English cricketers have habitually been outmatched opponents at the Gabbatoir

The Inspirational Triumph

Throughout modern times of broken English hopes, aspirations and players lies an inspirational story provided by an exceptional player

This marks a decade and a half after Sir Alastair Cook dominated in Brisbane through a defining 235 not out, saving the first Test from the 2010-11 series establishing England's trajectory to their only Ashes series win on Australian soil in the past 38 years

Record-Breaking Performance

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

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

The English triumphed 3-1, with every win through innings victories

England hasn't achieved a Test victory there since that memorable series

Cook's Memories

"One tends to forget the tough times, the nervousness and anxiety involved in that achievement," Cook remembers

"I look back with pride. My contribution was substantial 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 down under success commenced well before after that year's Ashes on home soil

Though England triumphed, the opening batsman scored under 25 per innings with just one score above 50

He sought improvement

"Despite cricket's collective nature, individual contribution generates the feeling like you want to pull your weight," he states

Game Improvement

Just 48 hours following the triumphant events, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds deliveries in practice with Graham Gooch

The initial results proved positive

The batsman achieved three hundreds on the 2009-10 winter tours in South Africa and Bangladesh

Crucial Turning Points

After coming back to British conditions for that year's summer, the left-hander performed poorly

In eight innings versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings was 29

On nought not out at the end of day two of the third Test against Pakistan at the famous ground, the batsman felt certain it might be his final Test performance prior to selection

"There I was in the hospitality area, attempting to discover the solution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals

Decisive Instance

His century secured his place in the squad down under

England continued their preparations with two victories and one draw of their warm-up games on Australian soil

When the first Test arrived at the famous ground, they faced Peter Siddle's hat-trick

Historic Partnership

Just before the end of the third day, both batsmen began England's second batting effort needing to overcome 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 by day's end and followed up through a demonstration etched in Ashes folklore

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

The opening pair added 188 for the first wicket

Cook's 235 not out was the highest score from an English player on Australian soil in eight decades

Total Command

England capitalised on a remarkable opening session of the second Test at Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket Michael Clarke, the score read 2-3 and couldn't recover

He continued his Queensland achievement through a 148-run innings in a famous match for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the opposition bowlers

Series Conclusion

The English might have secured the series in Western Australia, but Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction that would come later

The subsequent events included arguably England's best performance during Ashes competition in Australia

At the MCG, the massive stadium of sports down under, and on Boxing Day, the Australian team collapsed to 98 all out

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, that defined it. Amazement prevailed as the day ended," recalls Cook

The Final Victory

Motivated by purpose to claim victory, Cook was at it again at the SCG

His 189 contributed to England's 644, their highest total on Australian soil

The uncertainty wasn't whether England would triumph the game and series, but when

"The environment was electric," recalls Cook

"After Tremlett dismissed Michael Beer to secure victory, that was a time of absolute joy"

Legacy and Recognition

The batsman received top accolades

The subsequent seven years of his cricket journey were illuminated by other milestones

Post-cricket career, he received a knighthood for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|