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Brisbane is not a city to give England badly required Ashes optimism

After defeat by Australia in the first Test, England must stir themselves for a trip to Brisbane's Gabba, a stadium where England have not won for over thirty years

Players representing England have frequently been easy prey in Brisbane

The Inspirational Triumph

Within recent memory of broken English hopes, hopes and athletes lies an inspirational story provided by a shining knight

It is exactly the 15th anniversary of Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 without loss, saving the first Test of 2010-11 paving England's path toward their sole series victory down under in the past 38 years

Record-Breaking Performance

It commenced of the victorious circumnavigation of Australia; three centuries accumulating 766 runs

Wally Hammond is the only Englishman to score more runs in a series in this country

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

They have not won a Test here since that historic campaign

Personal Reflections

"One tends to forget the challenging periods, the apprehension and concern that went into that," Cook recalls

"With pride I remember. I played a significant part during a campaign where the English secured a 3-1 victory on Australian soil with every match was achieved comprehensively"

The Road to Greatness

His journey to down under success started a year and a half before at the end of the 2009 Ashes in the UK

Though England triumphed, the opening batsman had an average below 25 achieving merely one performance above 50

He sought improvement

"While cricket involves teamwork, personal performance creates the sensation like you want to pull your weight," he explains

Technical Transformation

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

Early outcomes showed promise

The batsman achieved three hundred-run innings on the 2009-10 winter tours against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Pivotal Instances

After coming back to England during the 2010 season, Cook performed poorly

In eight innings versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance was 29

Without runs following the second day in the third match facing Pakistan in London, Cook believed it might be his final Test performance prior to selection

"I was sitting in the bar, seeking the answer through drinking," he confesses

Decisive Instance

Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour

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

When the first Test arrived at the Gabba, they were hit by three wickets from Siddle

Memorable Collaboration

Just before the end of the third day, both batsmen began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs

They achieved 19 without loss at stumps and followed up with a performance remembered in Ashes history

"My memory doesn't retain specific guidance, our conversations," Cook remembers

The opening pair added 188 for the first wicket

Cook's 235 not out was the highest score by an Englishman in Australia in eight decades

Total Command

England capitalised on an astonishing first morning during the following Test at Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket the opposition player, Australia were 2-3 and couldn't recover

The batsman proceeded his Brisbane success with 148 in a famous match featuring Pietersen's destruction of the opposition bowlers

Ultimate Victory

Victory was possible the Ashes in Perth, but Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction that would come later

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

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, during Boxing Day, the home side were dismissed for 98

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

Ultimate Success

Driven by determination to win the urn, Cook was at it again at the SCG

The 189-run innings helped England reach 644, their record innings during Australian Tests

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

"The atmosphere was incredible," says Cook

"After Tremlett dismissed the last player to claim triumph, that was a time of absolute joy"

Historical Significance

Cook was player of the series

The remaining seven years of his Test career were illuminated by other milestones

After retiring internationally, he received a knighthood for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|