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Brisbane is not a place that offers the English team crucial Ashes optimism

After defeat by the Australian side at the series start, the visiting team have to bounce back ahead of visiting the famous Gabba, a stadium where England have not won for over thirty years

Players representing England have frequently been outmatched opponents at this challenging venue

Cook's Memorable Achievement

Throughout modern times of English disappointments, aspirations and players exists a motivational tale delivered by a cricket hero

It is exactly the 15th anniversary of Sir Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba via a landmark unbeaten 235, saving the first Test of 2010-11 paving England's path to their only Ashes series win on Australian soil in the past 38 years

Unforgettable Series

It was the beginning of Cook's triumphant tour of Australia; three hundred-plus scores accumulating 766 runs

The legendary Hammond stands as the only Briton with higher run totals during a Test series in this country

The English triumphed 3-1, where each success by an innings

England hasn't achieved success at this venue since that historic campaign

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the tough times, the nervousness and anxiety accompanying that success," the cricketer reflects

"With pride I remember. I made an important impact during a campaign where the English secured a 3-1 victory down under where each victory came through innings wins"

Journey to Excellence

The path to down under success commenced well before after that year's Ashes on home soil

Despite English victory, the opening batsman averaged less than 25 managing only one innings above 50

He sought improvement

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

Game Improvement

Two days after the triumphant events, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds of balls in the nets alongside Graham Gooch

Beginning performances showed promise

He scored three hundreds on the 2009-10 winter tours against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Pivotal Instances

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

During eight batting opportunities facing these opponents, his top innings reached only 29

Scoreless overnight after the second day's play in the third match facing Pakistan in London, Cook was convinced he was playing his last Test innings ahead of potential omission

"I was sitting in the bar, attempting to discover the resolution through drinking," he confesses

The Turning Point

The 110-run innings ensured his position in the squad down under

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

When the first Test arrived at the Gabba, they were hit by Peter Siddle's hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

An hour before day three's conclusion, Cook and Strauss began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs

They reached 19-0 when play concluded and followed up with a performance remembered in Ashes history

"My memory doesn't retain any instructions, anything of what we spoke about," recalls Cook

The left-handers added 188 for the first wicket

The 235 without dismissal was the highest score achieved by a Briton in Australia for 82 years

Total Command

The English took advantage of an astonishing first morning in the second match in South Australia

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

He continued his Brisbane heroics with 148 in a Test remembered highlighting Pietersen's dominance over the Australian attack

The Final Triumph

Victory was possible the series in Western Australia, only for Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc from future encounters

The subsequent events included arguably England's best performance of Ashes cricket in Australia

In Melbourne, the enormous ground of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the Australian team were dismissed for 98

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, this was it. Incredulity reigned at the end of the day," Cook remembers

Ultimate Success

Motivated by purpose to claim victory, Cook excelled once more at the Sydney Cricket Ground

His score of 189 lifted England to 644, their highest total on Australian soil

The question was not whether England would triumph both match and urn, but when

"The feeling was unbelievable," says Cook

"Following Tremlett's wicket of Michael Beer to secure victory, it represented an instant of complete happiness"

Enduring Impact

He earned series honors

The following seven seasons of his Test career included further accomplishments

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

"{I couldn't have played any better|