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Brisbane hasn't been a city to give England some much-needed hope for the Ashes

After defeat by Australia during the opening match, the visiting team need to regroup for a trip to Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where England have not won since 1986

Players representing England have frequently been lambs to the slaughter in Brisbane

Cook's Memorable Achievement

Throughout modern times of dashed English dreams, aspirations and players exists a motivational tale achieved by a shining knight

Today commemorates a decade and a half after Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba with a career-defining 235 without loss, preserving the initial Test from the 2010-11 series and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win in Australia in the past 38 years

Record-Breaking Performance

It was the beginning of Cook's triumphant Australian campaign; three hundred-plus scores totaling 766 runs

Wally Hammond is the only Englishman with higher run totals in a series on Australian soil

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

They have not won a Test here since those glory days

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the tough times, the tension and worry involved in that achievement," Cook recalls

"With pride I remember. I played a significant part during a campaign where England won 3-1 on Australian soil where each victory was achieved comprehensively"

Path to Success

His journey to down under success started a year and a half before following the 2009 Ashes in England

Despite English victory, the opening batsman had an average below 25 with just one score exceeding half-century

He desired better

"Despite cricket's collective nature, individual contribution does make you feel that you must contribute adequately," he explains

Skill Development

Shortly after the celebrations, he was back hitting hundreds and hundreds of balls in the nets with Graham Gooch

Beginning performances showed promise

He scored three hundreds on overseas campaigns against South African and Bangladeshi teams

Pivotal Instances

After coming back to home soil for that year's summer, the left-hander performed poorly

In eight innings facing these opponents, his best performance totaled just 29 runs

Scoreless overnight after the second day's play of the third Test facing Pakistan at The Oval, Cook believed it might be his last Test innings prior to selection

"I found myself in the bar, attempting to discover the resolution through drinking," he confesses

Critical Moment

The 110-run innings secured his place for the Australian tour

England continued their preparations with two victories and one draw of their warm-up games in Australia

Come the first Test at the famous ground, they encountered a Siddle hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

Just before the end of the third day, Cook and Strauss began England's second batting effort with a deficit of 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 by day's end and followed up with a performance remembered in Ashes history

"My memory doesn't retain specific guidance, anything of what we spoke about," says Cook

The left-handers contributed 188 for the first wicket

The 235 without dismissal represented the top score from an English player in Australia in eight decades

Complete Control

England capitalised on a remarkable opening session during the following Test in Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket Michael Clarke, the score read 2-3 and couldn't recover

He continued his Queensland achievement through a 148-run innings in a famous match for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the opposition bowlers

The Final Triumph

England could have retained the series in Western Australia, but Mitchell Johnson to preview the destruction from future encounters

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

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, during Boxing Day, the hosts collapsed to 98 all out

"For ideal Boxing Days, this was it. Incredulity reigned when play concluded," recalls Cook

Series Conclusion

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

His 189 contributed to England's 644, their record innings in a Test in Australia

The uncertainty wasn't if victory would come both match and urn, rather when

"The atmosphere was incredible," says Cook

"Following Tremlett's wicket of the last player to secure victory, it was a moment of pure elation"

Legacy and Recognition

The batsman received top accolades

The following seven seasons of his Test career were illuminated by other milestones

Post-cricket career, he received a knighthood for sporting achievements

"{I couldn't have played any better|