The Legend of 766 - When Cook Conquered the Australian Team

Brisbane is not a location providing the Three Lions some much-needed confidence in the series

Following the loss to the hosts at the series start, the tourists have to bounce back ahead of visiting Brisbane's Gabba, a stadium where England have not won for over thirty years

English cricketers have habitually been easy prey at the Gabbatoir

A Shining Knight's Achievement

Among a recent history of broken English hopes, aspirations and players exists a motivational tale achieved by a shining knight

It is exactly a decade and a half after the legendary Cook conquered the Gabba via a landmark unbeaten 235, rescuing the opening match from the 2010-11 series establishing England's trajectory toward their sole series victory on Australian soil during recent memory

Record-Breaking Performance

It commenced of his successful Australian campaign; three hundred-plus scores and 766 runs

Cricket great Hammond stands as the only Briton who has made more runs throughout a campaign in this country

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

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

Personal Reflections

"You forget the challenging periods, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," the cricketer reflects

"I look back with pride. I made an important impact in a series when England won 3-1 on Australian soil with every match came through innings wins"

Path to Success

The path to down under success commenced well before following the 2009 series in the UK

Despite English victory, Cook scored under 25 per innings achieving merely one performance above 50

He sought improvement

"While cricket involves teamwork, personal performance creates the sensation that you must contribute adequately," he explains

Game Improvement

Shortly after the triumphant events, he was back at work hitting hundreds and hundreds deliveries in practice with Graham Gooch

Early outcomes showed promise

The batsman achieved three hundred-run innings on the 2009-10 winter tours against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Career-Defining Moments

When Cook returned to British conditions for that year's summer, the left-hander had a "stinker"

Across eight appearances against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings totaled just 29 runs

On nought not out at the end of the second day's play during the final Test versus Pakistan at the famous ground, Cook believed it might be his concluding international appearance prior to selection

"There I was in the bar, seeking the answer in the bottom of a beer bottle," he confesses

Critical Moment

His century secured his place in the squad down under

England continued their preparations through successful warm-ups of their warm-up games on Australian soil

Come the first Test at the famous ground, they encountered three wickets from Siddle

Memorable Collaboration

An hour before the end of the third day, the opening pair started the English reply with a deficit of 221 runs

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

"I cannot recall any instructions, our discussions," recalls Cook

Both left-handed batsmen accumulated 188 runs together

Cook's 235 not out represented the top score achieved by a Briton down under in eight decades

Series Dominance

The English took advantage of an incredible start of the second Test in Adelaide

When Anderson also nicked off the opposition player, Australia were 2-3 and struggled throughout

The batsman proceeded his Brisbane success with 148 in a Test remembered featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling

Ultimate Victory

England could have retained the series in Western Australia, however Johnson to indicate the trouble from future encounters

What followed was perhaps England's single greatest day of Ashes cricket in Australia

In Melbourne, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the home side collapsed to 98 all out

"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, that defined it. Amazement prevailed at the end of the day," says Cook

Ultimate Success

Driven by determination to win the urn, Cook was at it again at the SCG

His score of 189 contributed to England's 644, their highest total in a Test in Australia

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

"The feeling was unbelievable," says Cook

"After Tremlett dismissed the final batsman to secure victory, that was a time of complete happiness"

Legacy and Recognition

Cook was player of the series

The remaining seven years of his cricket journey featured other milestones

After retiring internationally, Cook was knighted for cricket contributions

"{I couldn't have played any better|