🔗 Share this article

Brisbane hasn't been a city to give the English team badly required hope for the Ashes

After defeat by the hosts during the opening match, the visiting team must stir themselves ahead of visiting the famous Gabba, a venue where England have not won since 1986

English cricketers have frequently been lambs to the slaughter at the Gabbatoir

The Inspirational Success

Within recent memory of dashed English dreams, dreams and bodies is a source of inspiration delivered by an exceptional player

It is exactly the 15th anniversary of Alastair Cook mastered the Gabba via a landmark unbeaten 235, saving the first Test of 2010-11 establishing England's trajectory toward their sole series victory down under over nearly four decades

Record-Breaking Performance

This marked the start of the victorious circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds accumulating 766 runs

The legendary Hammond is the only Englishman with higher run totals in a series in this country

Victory came 3-1, with all victories by an innings

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

Personal Reflections

"One tends to forget the difficult moments, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," Cook remembers

"I reflect proudly. I made an important impact during a campaign where England triumphed 3-1 in Australia where each victory came through innings wins"

The Road to Greatness

Cook's road to his Australian epic started a year and a half before after that year's Ashes in the UK

Though England triumphed, the opening batsman averaged less than 25 managing only one innings above 50

He sought improvement

"Cricket is a team game, personal performance generates the feeling that you must contribute adequately," he notes

Technical Transformation

Two days after the celebrations, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds deliveries in practice alongside Graham Gooch

Early outcomes proved positive

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

Pivotal Instances

When Cook returned to England for the 2010 summer, Cook had a "stinker"

Across eight appearances facing these opponents, his highest score totaled just 29 runs

Scoreless overnight after day two during the final Test facing Pakistan at The Oval, Cook was convinced this would be his final Test performance ahead of potential omission

"I was sitting at the bar, seeking the resolution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he confesses

The Turning Point

Cook's 110 secured his place for the Australian tour

The team maintained preparations through successful warm-ups of their warm-up games down under

As the opening match began at the Gabba, they encountered a Siddle hat-trick

Record-Breaking Stand

An hour before day three's conclusion, both batsmen started the English reply needing to overcome 221 runs

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

"My memory doesn't retain any instructions, our conversations," Cook remembers

Both left-handed batsmen contributed 188 in their partnership

Cook's 235 not out represented the top score by an Englishman down under for 82 years

Total Command

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

Following Anderson's additional wicket Michael Clarke, the score read 2-3 and never recovered

He continued his Brisbane success through a 148-run innings in a famous match featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian attack

Series Conclusion

England could have retained the Ashes in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction he would cause four years later

Then came possibly England's finest day in Ashes history on Australian soil

In Melbourne, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the home side were dismissed for 98

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, it was that. There was disbelief at the end of the day," Cook remembers

Series Conclusion

Motivated by purpose to win the urn, the batsman performed brilliantly in Sydney

The 189-run innings lifted England to 644, their best score during Australian Tests

The uncertainty wasn't whether England would triumph both match and urn, but when

"The atmosphere was incredible," recalls Cook

"Following Tremlett's wicket of the last player to claim triumph, it represented an instant of absolute joy"

Legacy and Recognition

He earned series honors

The following seven seasons in his international career were illuminated by further accomplishments

After retiring internationally, he was honored for cricket contributions

"{I couldn't have played any better|