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The Queensland capital isn't a location providing the Three Lions badly required Ashes optimism

Following the loss to Australia during the opening match, the visiting team have to bounce back for a trip to Brisbane's Gabba, a ground where the English haven't triumphed since 1986

Players representing England have frequently been easy prey at the Gabbatoir

A Shining Knight's Success

Within recent memory of dashed English dreams, aspirations and players is a source of inspiration delivered by a cricket hero

It is exactly 15 years since Alastair Cook dominated in Brisbane through a defining unbeaten 235, saving the first Test during that famous series and setting England on course for their unique Ashes triumph on Australian soil during recent memory

Record-Breaking Performance

It was the beginning of Cook's triumphant tour of Australia; three hundred-plus scores and 766 runs

Cricket great Hammond remains the sole English player to score more runs throughout a campaign on Australian soil

England won 3-1, where each success via comprehensive wins

They have not won a Test victory there since that historic campaign

Looking Back

"One tends to forget the difficult moments, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," Cook remembers

"I look back with pride. My contribution was substantial during a campaign where the English secured a 3-1 victory in Australia where each victory were won by an innings"

The Road to Greatness

Cook's road to his Australian epic began 18 months earlier following the 2009 Ashes on home soil

Though England triumphed, Cook scored under 25 per innings with just one score over fifty

He desired better

"While cricket involves teamwork, the individuality does make you feel like you want to pull your weight," he notes

Skill Development

Just 48 hours following the celebrations, he was back at work practicing numerous deliveries in practice with Graham Gooch

Early outcomes proved positive

Cook made three hundred-run innings on the 2009-10 winter tours to South Africa and Bangladesh

Pivotal Instances

Upon his return to British conditions for the 2010 summer, the batsman struggled significantly

In eight innings versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance reached only 29

Without runs after the second day of the third Test facing Pakistan at The Oval, Cook was convinced this would be his final Test performance prior to selection

"I found myself in the hospitality area, seeking the solution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals

Critical Moment

Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour

England continued their preparations through successful warm-ups in practice matches in Australia

When the first Test arrived at the famous ground, they faced Peter Siddle's hat-trick

Memorable Collaboration

An hour before the third day's close, both batsmen began England's second batting effort needing to overcome 221 runs

The score stood at 19-0 by day's end then continued through a demonstration remembered in Ashes history

"I cannot recall specific guidance, anything of what we spoke about," recalls Cook

The left-handers accumulated 188 runs for the first wicket

His unbeaten 235 was the highest score from an English player in Australia in eight decades

Series Dominance

England exploited a remarkable opening session of the second Test in Adelaide

Following Anderson's additional wicket Michael Clarke, Australia were 2-3 and never recovered

The batsman proceeded his Brisbane success through a 148-run innings in a famous match for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the Australian bowling

Series Conclusion

Victory was possible the Ashes in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to foreshadow the havoc from future encounters

The subsequent events included possibly England's finest day of Ashes cricket in Australia

At the MCG, the enormous ground of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the Australian team were blown away for 98

"If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, that defined it. Incredulity reigned at the end of the day," recalls Cook

Ultimate Success

Fuelled by the focus to claim victory, Cook was at it again at the SCG

The 189-run innings contributed to England's 644, their record innings on Australian soil

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

"The environment was electric," Cook remembers

"When Tremlett got Michael Beer to secure victory, that was a time of absolute joy"

Enduring Impact

He earned series honors

The subsequent seven years of his Test career featured other milestones

Post-cricket career, he received a knighthood for services to cricket

"{I couldn't have played any better|