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Brisbane hasn't been a city to give the English team some much-needed hope for the Ashes

Following the loss to Australia at the series start, England must stir themselves ahead of visiting Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where the English haven't triumphed since 1986

Men wearing three lions have frequently been easy prey at this challenging venue

A Shining Knight's Triumph

Within recent memory of broken English hopes, hopes and athletes is a source of inspiration delivered by an exceptional player

It is exactly 15 years since Alastair Cook dominated in Brisbane via a landmark 235 not out, preserving the initial Test from the 2010-11 series establishing England's trajectory for their unique Ashes triumph down under during recent memory

Historic Achievement

It was the beginning of the victorious Australian campaign; three hundreds accumulating 766 runs

Cricket great Hammond stands as the only Briton to score more runs throughout a campaign down under

England won 3-1, where each success via comprehensive wins

England hasn't achieved a Test victory there since that historic campaign

Personal Reflections

"You forget the difficult moments, the tension and worry involved in that achievement," Cook recalls

"With pride I remember. I played a significant part during a campaign where the English secured a 3-1 victory down under and all three games were won by an innings"

Path to Success

The path to down under success started a year and a half before at the end of that year's Ashes in England

Despite English victory, the opener scored under 25 per innings managing only one innings above 50

He sought improvement

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

Game Improvement

Just 48 hours following the victory celebrations, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds of balls in the nets with Graham Gooch

Beginning performances showed promise

Cook made three hundred-run innings on the 2009-10 winter tours in South Africa and Bangladesh

Pivotal Instances

After coming back to England for that year's summer, the batsman had a "stinker"

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

Scoreless overnight at the end of the second day's play of the third Test versus Pakistan in London, the batsman felt certain this would be his final Test performance ahead of potential omission

"I was sitting in the hospitality area, attempting to discover the answer by drowning sorrows," he reveals

Critical Moment

His century secured his place on the plane to Australia

England continued their preparations with two victories and one draw of their warm-up games down under

As the opening match began in Brisbane, they faced Peter Siddle's hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

An hour before the third day's close, the opening pair started the English reply trailing by 221 runs

They reached 19-0 when play concluded and followed up through a demonstration engraved in cricket memory

"My memory doesn't retain the messages, our conversations," says Cook

Both left-handed batsmen added 188 for the first wicket

Cook's 235 not out was the highest score by an Englishman in Australia for 82 years

Series Dominance

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

When Anderson also nicked off Michael Clarke, the hosts stood at 2-3 and struggled throughout

He continued his Brisbane heroics with 148 in a Test remembered for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the Australian attack

Ultimate Victory

England could have retained the series in Western Australia, but Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction from future encounters

Then came possibly England's finest day of Ashes cricket in Australia

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

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

The Final Victory

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

The 189-run innings lifted England to 644, their record innings in a Test in Australia

The debate didn't concern if England would win the game and series, but the timing

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"After Tremlett dismissed the final batsman to win the match, it was a moment of complete happiness"

Historical Significance

The batsman received top accolades

The remaining seven years of his Test career featured further accomplishments

After retiring internationally, Cook was knighted for cricket contributions

"{I couldn't have played any better|