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Brisbane hasn't been a city to give the Three Lions badly required confidence in the series

After defeat by Australia at the series start, England need to regroup before heading to the famous Gabba, a stadium where the English haven't triumphed since 1986

Men wearing three lions have habitually been easy prey at the Gabbatoir

A Shining Knight's Achievement

Throughout modern times of dashed English dreams, dreams and bodies lies an inspirational story achieved by a shining knight

Today commemorates the 15th anniversary of the legendary Cook conquered the Gabba via a landmark unbeaten 235, preserving the initial Test during that famous series paving England's path to their only Ashes series win on Australian soil over nearly four decades

Record-Breaking Performance

It was the beginning of the victorious circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds accumulating 766 runs

The legendary Hammond remains the sole English player to score more runs during a Test series in this country

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

England hasn't achieved a Test victory there since that memorable series

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the challenging periods, the tension and worry involved in that achievement," the cricketer reflects

"With pride I remember. My contribution was substantial in a tournament that saw England triumphed 3-1 in Australia where each victory came through innings wins"

Path to Success

His journey toward Australian glory began 18 months earlier at the end of the 2009 series on home soil

England won, the opening batsman scored under 25 per innings managing only one innings above 50

He sought improvement

"Despite cricket's collective nature, the individuality creates the sensation that personal responsibility matters," he states

Technical Transformation

Shortly after the victory celebrations, he was back at work practicing numerous bowls during training alongside Graham Gooch

The initial results were encouraging

Cook made three centuries during winter tours in South Africa and Bangladesh

Pivotal Instances

When Cook returned to England for that year's summer, the batsman struggled significantly

Across eight appearances versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance totaled just 29 runs

Scoreless overnight after the second day's play in the third match facing Pakistan at The Oval, the batsman felt certain it might be his concluding international appearance ahead of potential omission

"I found myself in the bar, seeking the answer by drowning sorrows," he confesses

Decisive Instance

Cook's 110 ensured his position in the squad down under

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

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

Historic Partnership

Just before the end of the third day, Cook and Strauss started the English reply trailing by 221 runs

They achieved 19 without loss at stumps and followed up with an exhibition etched in Ashes folklore

"I don't remember any instructions, anything of what we spoke about," recalls Cook

The left-handers accumulated 188 runs for the first wicket

The 235 without dismissal represented the top score by an Englishman in Australia in eight decades

Series Dominance

The English took advantage of a remarkable opening session of the second Test in Adelaide

After Anderson also dismissed Michael Clarke, the hosts stood at 2-3 and struggled throughout

He continued his Brisbane heroics through a 148-run innings in a famous match featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling

Series Conclusion

The English might have secured the series in Western Australia, but Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction he would cause four years later

The subsequent events included arguably England's best performance during Ashes competition in Australia

At the MCG, the enormous ground of Australian sport, during Boxing Day, the Australian team were blown away for 98

"For ideal Boxing Days, it was that. There was disbelief when play concluded," Cook remembers

Series Conclusion

Driven by determination to win the urn, Cook excelled once more in Sydney

The 189-run innings contributed to England's 644, their best score during Australian Tests

The question was not whether England would triumph the match and the Ashes, but when

"The atmosphere was incredible," recalls Cook

"Following Tremlett's wicket of Michael Beer to secure victory, that was a time of absolute joy"

Enduring Impact

The batsman received top accolades

The following seven seasons of his Test career featured other milestones

After retiring internationally, Cook was knighted for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|