The Legend of 766 - When Cook Conquered Down Under
The legendary impressive 766 by an Englishman in Australian conditions was only surpassed by Wally Hammond
Brisbane is not a place that offers the Three Lions crucial confidence in the series
Following the loss to the Australian side during the opening match, the tourists need to regroup for a trip to Brisbane's Gabba, a venue where victory has eluded England for decades
Players representing England have frequently been easy prey at the Gabbatoir
A Shining Knight's Achievement
Within recent memory of broken English hopes, dreams and bodies is a source of inspiration achieved by a shining knight
It is exactly a decade and a half after Alastair Cook dominated in Brisbane via a landmark unbeaten 235, saving the first Test from the 2010-11 series and setting England on course toward their sole series victory on Australian soil during recent memory
Unforgettable Series
It commenced of Cook's triumphant circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds and 766 runs
Cricket great Hammond remains the sole English player with higher run totals in a series down under
England won 3-1, with all victories through innings victories
The team hasn't secured a Test here since that memorable series
Cook's Memories
"One tends to forget the challenging periods, the nervousness and anxiety that went into that," Cook remembers
"With pride I remember. I made an important impact during a campaign where England won 3-1 down under with every match came through innings wins"
Path to Success
His journey toward Australian glory started a year and a half before after that year's Ashes on home soil
Despite English victory, the opener had an average below 25 managing only one innings exceeding half-century
He wanted more
"Despite cricket's collective nature, the individuality generates the feeling that personal responsibility matters," he states
Game Improvement
Just 48 hours following the victory celebrations, he returned facing countless bowls during training under Graham Gooch's guidance
The initial results proved positive
The batsman achieved three hundreds on overseas campaigns against South African and Bangladeshi teams
Pivotal Instances
After coming back to England for that year's summer, the batsman performed poorly
In eight innings versus Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance was 29
On nought not out at the end of the second day of the third Test against Pakistan in London, Cook believed it might be his final Test performance ahead of potential omission
"I was sitting in the bar, seeking the solution in the bottom of a beer bottle," he reveals
Critical Moment
Cook's 110 guaranteed his seat for the Australian tour
The team maintained preparations through successful warm-ups of their warm-up games down under
Come the first Test at the famous ground, they faced a Siddle hat-trick
Historic Partnership
An hour before the end of the third day, Cook and Strauss started the English reply trailing by 221 runs
The score stood at 19-0 at stumps and proceeded through a demonstration etched in Ashes folklore
"My memory doesn't retain any instructions, our conversations," Cook remembers
Both left-handed batsmen contributed 188 for the first wicket
The 235 without dismissal stood as the best performance by an Englishman in Australia for 82 years
Total Command
England exploited a remarkable opening session during the following Test at Adelaide
When Anderson also nicked off Michael Clarke, the score read 2-3 and never recovered
Cook followed up his Queensland achievement through a 148-run innings in a famous match highlighting Pietersen's dominance over the Australian bowling
The Final Triumph
England could have retained the urn in Perth, only for Mitchell Johnson to indicate the trouble he would cause four years later
What followed was arguably England's best performance of Ashes cricket down under
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 100,000-seater cathedral of Australian cricket, on the holiday, the Australian team were blown away for 98
"If perfection existed for Boxing Day, that defined it. There was disbelief as the day ended," Cook remembers
The Final Victory
Driven by determination to secure the Ashes, Cook excelled once more at the SCG
His 189 lifted England to 644, their highest total during Australian Tests
The debate didn't concern if England would win both match and urn, rather when
"The environment was electric," Cook remembers
"When Tremlett got the last player to secure victory, that was a time of pure elation"
Enduring Impact
The batsman received top accolades
The subsequent seven years of his Test career were illuminated by additional achievements
After retiring internationally, he received a knighthood for cricket contributions
"{I couldn't have played any better|