The Legend of 766 - When Cook Conquered the Australian Team
Sir Alastair's 766 runs from an English player in Australian conditions was only surpassed by the great Wally Hammond
The Queensland capital isn't a city to give England badly required confidence in the series
After defeat by the Australian side at the series start, the tourists need to regroup ahead of visiting the Gabba, a stadium where the English haven't triumphed for over thirty years
Men wearing three lions have often become easy prey at this challenging venue
A Shining Knight's Success
Throughout modern times of dashed English dreams, aspirations and players is a source of inspiration provided by a cricket hero
Today commemorates the 15th anniversary of Sir Alastair Cook dominated in Brisbane with a career-defining 235 without loss, rescuing the opening match from the 2010-11 series paving England's path to their only Ashes series win on Australian soil in the past 38 years
Record-Breaking Performance
It commenced of Cook's triumphant circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds accumulating 766 runs
Wally Hammond is the only Englishman to score more runs throughout a campaign down under
Victory came 3-1, with every win by an innings
They have not won success at this venue since that memorable series
Personal Reflections
"One tends to forget the tough times, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," Cook remembers
"I look back with pride. I played a significant part in a tournament that saw England triumphed 3-1 on Australian soil where each victory came through innings wins"
The Road to Greatness
His journey to down under success started a year and a half before following that year's Ashes in the UK
Despite English victory, Cook averaged less than 25 with just one score over fifty
He sought improvement
"Despite cricket's collective nature, individual contribution creates the sensation that personal responsibility matters," he explains
Game Improvement
Just 48 hours following the celebrations, he was back at work practicing numerous bowls during training under Graham Gooch's guidance
Beginning performances showed promise
The batsman achieved three hundreds during winter tours to South Africa and Bangladesh
Pivotal Instances
When Cook returned to British conditions for that year's summer, Cook had a "stinker"
In eight innings versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings was 29
Scoreless overnight at the end of day two of the third Test facing Pakistan at The Oval, Cook was convinced he was playing his last Test innings before being dropped
"There I was in the bar, trying to find the answer by drowning sorrows," he admits
The Turning Point
His century secured his place for the Australian tour
England continued their preparations through successful warm-ups of their warm-up games in Australia
Come the first Test at the famous ground, they encountered Peter Siddle's hat-trick
Historic Partnership
Shortly prior to the end of the third day, both batsmen began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs
They achieved 19 without loss by day's end and proceeded through a demonstration etched in Ashes folklore
"I cannot recall the messages, our conversations," recalls Cook
The opening pair accumulated 188 runs for the first wicket
Cook's 235 not out was the highest score achieved by a Briton on Australian soil since the 1930s
Total Command
England exploited an incredible start of the second Test in Adelaide
When Anderson also nicked off the opposition player, Australia were 2-3 and struggled throughout
He continued his Brisbane heroics through a 148-run innings in a Test remembered highlighting Pietersen's dominance over the Australian attack
The Final Triumph
England could have retained the urn in Perth, but Mitchell Johnson to indicate the trouble he would cause four years later
Then came arguably England's best performance during Ashes competition in Australia
At the MCG, the massive stadium of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the home side were dismissed for 98
"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, this was it. There was disbelief when play concluded," recalls Cook
Series Conclusion
Motivated by purpose to claim victory, the batsman performed brilliantly at the SCG
His 189 helped England reach 644, their highest total during Australian Tests
The uncertainty wasn't whether England would triumph the match and the Ashes, but when
"The environment was electric," Cook remembers
"When Tremlett got the last player to secure victory, that was a time of absolute joy"
Historical Significance
The batsman received top accolades
The following seven seasons in his international career included further accomplishments
After retiring internationally, he was honored for services to cricket
"{I couldn't have played any better|