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The Queensland capital isn't a city to give the English team some much-needed confidence in the series

After defeat by Australia during the opening match, the visiting team must stir themselves before heading to Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where the English haven't triumphed since 1986

Players representing England have frequently been lambs to the slaughter at the Gabbatoir

The Inspirational Success

Throughout modern times of dashed English dreams, aspirations and players is a source of inspiration achieved by a cricket hero

It is exactly 15 years since Sir Alastair Cook mastered the Gabba via a landmark 235 without loss, rescuing the opening match from the 2010-11 series and setting England on course for their unique Ashes triumph down under over nearly four decades

Historic Achievement

This marked the start of Cook's triumphant Australian campaign; three centuries totaling 766 runs

Wally Hammond is the only Englishman with higher run totals during a Test series in this country

Victory came 3-1, with every win through innings victories

The team hasn't secured a Test victory there since that historic campaign

Looking Back

"You forget the tough times, the tension and worry accompanying that success," Cook recalls

"With pride I remember. I played a significant part in a tournament that saw the English secured a 3-1 victory on Australian soil with every match was achieved comprehensively"

Path to Success

The path to down under success started a year and a half before following the 2009 Ashes on home soil

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

He sought improvement

"Cricket is a team game, individual contribution does make you feel that you must contribute adequately," he notes

Technical Transformation

Two days after the triumphant events, he was back practicing numerous deliveries in practice with Graham Gooch

Beginning performances proved positive

He scored three hundreds 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 struggled significantly

During eight batting opportunities against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his highest score reached only 29

On nought not out at the end of the second day's play of the third Test versus Pakistan in London, Cook was convinced it might be his last Test innings before being dropped

"There I was in the hospitality area, trying to find the solution through drinking," he reveals

The Turning Point

The 110-run innings secured his place on the plane to Australia

The team maintained preparations through successful warm-ups in practice matches down under

When the first Test arrived in Brisbane, they encountered three wickets from Siddle

Historic Partnership

Just before day three's conclusion, the opening pair started the English reply trailing by 221 runs

They achieved 19 without loss when play concluded and followed up through a demonstration engraved in cricket memory

"I cannot recall the messages, our discussions," Cook remembers

The opening pair accumulated 188 runs for the first wicket

Cook's 235 not out stood as the best performance from an English player down under in eight decades

Complete Control

The English took advantage of a remarkable opening session during the following Test in South Australia

Following Anderson's additional wicket the opposition player, the hosts stood at 2-3 and couldn't recover

He continued his Queensland achievement by scoring 148 during a memorable Test featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling

The Final Triumph

Victory was possible the urn in Perth, however Johnson to preview the destruction he would cause four years later

The subsequent events included arguably England's best performance in Ashes history down under

In Melbourne, the 100,000-seater cathedral of sports down under, on the holiday, the home side were dismissed for 98

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, that defined it. Incredulity reigned when play concluded," says Cook

The Final Victory

Driven by determination to secure the Ashes, Cook excelled once more in Sydney

The 189-run innings lifted England to 644, their highest total on Australian soil

The debate didn't concern if victory would come both match and urn, but when

"The feeling was unbelievable," Cook remembers

"After Tremlett dismissed the last player to win the match, that was a time of pure elation"

Historical Significance

He earned series honors

The following seven seasons of his cricket journey featured additional achievements

Following his international retirement, he received a knighthood for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|