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

In the wake of losing to the hosts during the opening match, the tourists must stir themselves ahead of visiting the Gabba, a stadium where victory has eluded England for decades

Men wearing three lions have frequently been outmatched opponents at the Gabbatoir

Cook's Memorable Success

Within recent memory of dashed English dreams, hopes and athletes lies an inspirational story delivered by an exceptional player

Today commemorates a decade and a half after the legendary Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 without loss, saving the first Test during that famous series establishing England's trajectory to their only Ashes series win down under during recent memory

Historic Achievement

This marked the start of his successful circumnavigation of Australia; three centuries and 766 runs

The legendary Hammond remains the sole English player with higher run totals during a Test series on Australian soil

Victory came 3-1, with every win via comprehensive wins

England hasn't achieved a Test victory there since those glory days

Cook's Memories

"People overlook the difficult moments, the apprehension and concern that went into that," Cook remembers

"I reflect proudly. My contribution was substantial in a series when England won 3-1 on Australian soil and all three games came through innings wins"

Journey to Excellence

Cook's road toward Australian glory started a year and a half before at the end of the 2009 series on home soil

Despite English victory, Cook scored under 25 per innings with just one score over fifty

He sought improvement

"Despite cricket's collective nature, personal performance does make you feel that personal responsibility matters," he notes

Technical Transformation

Two days after the victory celebrations, he returned practicing numerous bowls during training with Graham Gooch

Beginning performances showed promise

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

Crucial Turning Points

After coming back to England for that year's summer, the batsman performed poorly

During eight batting opportunities against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings totaled just 29 runs

Without runs at the end of day two during the final Test facing Pakistan at the famous ground, the batsman felt certain he was playing his last Test innings before being dropped

"There I was at the bar, trying to find the answer in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals

Critical Moment

Cook's 110 guaranteed his seat in the squad down under

England continued their preparations through successful warm-ups of their warm-up games in Australia

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

Historic Partnership

Just before day three's conclusion, the opening pair started the English reply with a deficit of 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 when play concluded and followed up with a performance etched in Ashes folklore

"I cannot recall the messages, our conversations," says Cook

The opening pair contributed 188 in their partnership

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 in the second match in Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket the Australian batsman, Australia were 2-3 and never recovered

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

Ultimate Victory

The English might have secured the urn in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc he would cause four years later

The subsequent events included perhaps England's single greatest day during Ashes competition down under

At the MCG, the massive stadium of sports down under, and on Boxing Day, the home side were dismissed for 98

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

The Final Victory

Fuelled by the focus to win the urn, Cook excelled once more at the Sydney Cricket Ground

His score of 189 helped England reach 644, their best score on Australian soil

The debate didn't concern if England would win both match and urn, but the timing

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"Following Tremlett's wicket of Michael Beer to win the match, it was a moment of pure elation"

Historical Significance

He earned series honors

The subsequent seven years in his international career included other milestones

Following his international retirement, he was honored for sporting achievements

"{I couldn't have played any better|