Remembering 766 - Cook's Triumph in the Australian Team
Alastair Cook's record-breaking 766 scored by an English batsman on an Ashes tour was only surpassed by the great Wally Hammond
The Queensland capital isn't a place that offers the English team some much-needed hope for the Ashes
In the wake of losing to Australia at the series start, England need to regroup before heading to the Gabba, a stadium where victory has eluded England for decades
Players representing England have often become lambs to the slaughter in Brisbane
A Shining Knight's Success
Within recent memory of dashed English dreams, hopes and athletes lies an inspirational story delivered by a cricket hero
It is exactly a decade and a half after the legendary Cook conquered the Gabba via a landmark 235 without loss, preserving the initial Test of 2010-11 and setting England on course to their only Ashes series win on Australian soil in the past 38 years
Historic Achievement
It was the beginning of the victorious Australian campaign; three centuries accumulating 766 runs
The legendary Hammond remains the sole English player who has made more runs throughout a campaign on Australian soil
England won 3-1, where each success through innings victories
The team hasn't secured success at this venue since those glory days
Cook's Memories
"One tends to forget the tough times, the nervousness and anxiety accompanying that success," Cook recalls
"I reflect proudly. I played a significant part in a series when England won 3-1 down under with every match were won by an innings"
Journey to Excellence
His journey to his Australian epic began 18 months earlier after the 2009 Ashes in England
England won, the opener averaged less than 25 with just one score exceeding half-century
He wanted more
"While cricket involves teamwork, individual contribution generates the feeling that you must contribute adequately," he notes
Game Improvement
Shortly after the celebrations, he returned hitting hundreds and hundreds bowls during training under Graham Gooch's guidance
Early outcomes were encouraging
He scored three hundred-run innings on the 2009-10 winter tours to South Africa and Bangladesh
Career-Defining Moments
When Cook returned to British conditions for the 2010 summer, Cook had a "stinker"
During eight batting opportunities versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his top innings totaled just 29 runs
Scoreless overnight following the second day in the third match facing Pakistan at The Oval, Cook believed this would be his last Test innings prior to selection
"There I was in the hospitality area, seeking the resolution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals
The Turning Point
Cook's 110 ensured his position for the Australian tour
England continued their preparations with two victories and one draw in practice matches down under
When the first Test arrived at the Gabba, they encountered three wickets from Siddle
Record-Breaking Stand
Just before the end of the third day, Cook and Strauss began England's second batting effort trailing by 221 runs
They reached 19-0 at stumps then continued with a performance engraved in cricket memory
"I cannot recall specific guidance, our conversations," Cook remembers
The opening pair accumulated 188 runs for the first wicket
Cook's 235 not out stood as the best performance achieved by a Briton down under for 82 years
Total Command
England capitalised on an astonishing first morning during the following Test in South Australia
After Anderson also dismissed Michael Clarke, Australia were 2-3 and couldn't recover
The batsman proceeded his Brisbane heroics through a 148-run innings in a famous match featuring Pietersen's destruction of the Australian bowling
Ultimate Victory
The English might have secured the urn in Perth, however Johnson to foreshadow the havoc that would come later
The subsequent events included possibly England's finest day in Ashes history in Australia
In Melbourne, the massive stadium of Australian sport, during Boxing Day, the hosts were dismissed for 98
"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, this was it. Amazement prevailed at the end of the day," Cook remembers
Series Conclusion
Driven by determination to win the urn, Cook excelled once more in Sydney
The 189-run innings helped England reach 644, their record innings on Australian soil
The debate didn't concern if England would win the game and series, but the timing
"The atmosphere was incredible," recalls Cook
"When Tremlett got Michael Beer to secure victory, it was a moment of absolute joy"
Enduring Impact
He earned series honors
The subsequent seven years of his Test career were illuminated by additional achievements
After retiring internationally, he was honored for cricket contributions
"{I couldn't have played any better|