🔗 Share this article The Legend of 766 - When Cook Conquered the Australian Team Alastair Cook's 766 runs from an English player on an Ashes tour is only bettered by cricket legend Wally Hammond Chief Cricket Reporter in Brisbane Posted recently Brisbane is not a location providing the English team badly required confidence in the series After defeat by Australia at the series start, the tourists need to regroup before heading to the famous Gabba, a stadium where the English haven't triumphed for over thirty years Men wearing three lions have habitually been lambs to the slaughter in Brisbane The Inspirational Success Within recent memory of broken English hopes, aspirations and players exists a motivational tale achieved by a shining knight It is exactly the 15th anniversary of Alastair Cook conquered the Gabba through a defining 235 not out, rescuing the opening match of 2010-11 and setting England on course for their unique Ashes triumph down under in the past 38 years Historic Achievement It commenced of the victorious circumnavigation of Australia; three hundreds totaling 766 runs Cricket great Hammond stands as the only Briton who has made more runs throughout a campaign down under England won 3-1, with every win through innings victories The team hasn't secured success at this venue since that historic campaign Cook's Memories "People overlook the challenging periods, the nervousness and anxiety accompanying that success," Cook remembers "With pride I remember. I played a significant part in a tournament that saw the English secured a 3-1 victory in Australia and all three games were won by an innings" The Road to Greatness The path toward Australian glory began 18 months earlier after the 2009 Ashes in England Despite English victory, Cook averaged less than 25 managing only one innings over fifty He sought improvement "Cricket is a team game, the individuality creates the sensation that personal responsibility matters," he states Skill Development Just 48 hours following the triumphant events, he was back at work practicing numerous bowls during training with Graham Gooch Early outcomes showed promise He scored three centuries on the 2009-10 winter tours in South Africa and Bangladesh Career-Defining Moments Upon his return to British conditions for that year's summer, the batsman struggled significantly During eight batting opportunities against Bangladesh and Pakistan, his best performance totaled just 29 runs On nought not out following day two in the third match against Pakistan at The Oval, the batsman felt certain this would be his last Test innings before being dropped "I was sitting in the bar, trying to find the solution through drinking," he confesses The Turning Point The 110-run innings secured his place on the plane to Australia Preparation continued with two victories and one draw during preparatory contests down under As the opening match began at the Gabba, they were hit by Peter Siddle's hat-trick Historic Partnership Just before the end of the third day, the opening pair opened England's second innings trailing by 221 runs They achieved 19 without loss by day's end then continued with a performance engraved in cricket memory "I cannot recall any instructions, our conversations," Cook remembers The left-handers added 188 together His unbeaten 235 represented the top score by an Englishman down under for 82 years Series Dominance England exploited an incredible start of the second Test at Adelaide After Anderson also dismissed Michael Clarke, the score read 2-3 and struggled throughout He continued his Brisbane success through a 148-run innings in a Test remembered for Kevin Pietersen dismantling the Australian bowling The Final Triumph The English might have secured the urn in Perth, however Johnson to foreshadow the havoc from future encounters The subsequent events included perhaps England's single greatest day in Ashes history down under In Melbourne, the massive stadium of sports down under, and on Boxing Day, the Australian team were dismissed for 98 "If Carlsberg did Boxing Days, it was that. Amazement prevailed when play concluded," says Cook Ultimate Success Driven by determination to secure the Ashes, Cook was at it again at the Sydney Cricket Ground His score of 189 helped England reach 644, their best score in a Test in Australia The uncertainty wasn't if victory would come both match and urn, but the timing "The environment was electric," recalls Cook "When Tremlett got the last player to claim triumph, that was a time of absolute joy" Enduring Impact Cook was player of the series The following seven seasons in his international career featured further accomplishments Post-cricket career, he was honored for services to cricket "{I couldn't have played any better|