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Brisbane is not a place that offers the Three Lions crucial confidence in the series

Following the loss to the hosts during the opening match, England must stir themselves before heading to the Gabba, a ground where England have not won for over thirty years

Men wearing three lions have frequently been lambs to the slaughter at this challenging venue

Cook's Memorable Achievement

Within recent memory of dashed English dreams, dreams and bodies lies an inspirational story delivered by a shining knight

It is exactly a decade and a half after Sir Alastair Cook mastered the Gabba via a landmark 235 without loss, rescuing the opening match from the 2010-11 series paving England's path toward their sole series victory on Australian soil over nearly four decades

Historic Achievement

This marked the start of Cook's triumphant circumnavigation of Australia; three centuries accumulating 766 runs

Wally Hammond remains the sole English player who has made more runs throughout a campaign in this country

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

England hasn't achieved a Test here since that historic campaign

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the difficult moments, the apprehension and concern that went into that," Cook remembers

"I reflect proudly. My contribution was substantial in a series when the English secured a 3-1 victory in Australia where each victory was achieved comprehensively"

Journey to Excellence

The path toward Australian glory started a year and a half before following the 2009 series in the UK

Though England triumphed, the opening batsman averaged less than 25 with just one score exceeding half-century

He wanted more

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

Skill Development

Shortly after the victory celebrations, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds of balls in the nets with Graham Gooch

Early outcomes were encouraging

He scored three hundreds on overseas campaigns against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Pivotal Instances

Upon his return to British conditions for that year's summer, Cook had a "stinker"

Across eight appearances against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings reached only 29

Without runs after day two during the final Test versus Pakistan at the famous ground, the batsman felt certain it might be his concluding international appearance ahead of potential omission

"There I was in the hospitality area, seeking the resolution by drowning sorrows," he reveals

Critical Moment

Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour

Preparation continued by winning two and drawing one of their warm-up games in Australia

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

Record-Breaking Stand

Shortly prior to the end of the third day, the opening pair started the English reply needing to overcome 221 runs

They reached 19-0 when play concluded and proceeded with an exhibition remembered in Ashes history

"I don't remember any instructions, our conversations," recalls Cook

The opening pair accumulated 188 runs together

Cook's 235 not out represented the top score from an English player down under for 82 years

Series Dominance

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

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

Cook followed up his Brisbane success by scoring 148 during a memorable Test featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling

The Final Triumph

England could have retained the urn in Perth, 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 Melbourne Cricket Ground, the enormous ground of Australian sport, and on Boxing Day, the home side were dismissed for 98

"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, this was it. There was disbelief at the end of the day," Cook remembers

Ultimate Success

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

His score of 189 lifted England to 644, their best score during Australian Tests

The question was not if victory would come the game and series, but when

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"When Tremlett got the last player to win the match, that was a time of complete happiness"

Enduring Impact

He earned series honors

The subsequent seven years of his cricket journey featured additional achievements

Post-cricket career, Cook was knighted for sporting achievements

"{I couldn't have played any better|