Is cricket all about technique? If so, then there would have never been a "great" one on the turf. All the miracles that have happened on the 22 yards in the history of cricket because someone on the field BELIEVED! Be it Sachin Tendulkar' 241* no-cover-drive innings in Sydney, or Ben Stokes' 135 in Headingley, or Kushal Perera's 153 in Durban—these men believed. Recently, during the first ODI against South Africa, India star Virat Kohli scored his 83rd international century. Later, during the post-match presentation, he highlighted how he never gave much importance to physical preparation and how his mental preparation was mostly mental. Currently, the Ben Stokes-led England team is touring Australia for their highly anticipated Ashes series, in which England was humiliated by an 8-wicket defeat that too achieved on day 2. Notably, since the 2010-11 Ashes, England has never won one in Australia. And the 2010-11 Ashes witnessed a history of comeback—the comeback of England's former captain Alastair Cook. The Pakistan Series that throttled Cook before Ashes Even though there was no official record of England planning to dethrone Sir Alastair Cook, but he himself believed that he was probably done. This man's arrival has been "sudden" since the beginning. From a sudden call from England to India, as a replacement for injured batter Marcus Trescothic, Cook started his career. And his comeback from the edge of being thrown down was sudden? Or belief? Well, before the Ashes, England had hosted Pakistan for a four-match series. In the first five Test innings, Cook's scorecard was pathetic: 8, 12, 17, 4 and 6. The criticisms of media were so much that the former English cricketers started calling it a "suicide" if Cook was taken to the Ashes series that followed. Cook broke down. He started believing that the final innings of the third Test at the Oval would be his last outing. And there came Mike Brearley. Read also: Why Multiple IPL Teams Will Target Liam Livingstone in the 2026 Mini Auction The Arrival of Mike Brearley Mike Brearley has been a former England captain, even leading the Ashes series. However, his international career was short-lived, but earned fame in domestic cricket. Well, Brearley was often considered a sharp mind and later worked as a psychoanalyst for many sports teams. One such instance was when the England and Wales Cricket Team officially arranged a session with Brealey for the young budding captains. There are many reports where it was claimed that Brearley had a three-hour-long session with young Cook. Following that, Cook perceived one reality: “You can take as much advice as possible … but … you have to do things your way." Reports claimed that Brearly had a chat with Cook later before the second innings against Pakistan. Brealey's advice was- Stick to the basics and old techniques and not get out while defending. Cook followed and got the result. The comeback century; feat: Alastair Cook Brearley didn’t try to change Cook’s technique. Instead, he listened to Cook’s concerns, calmed his fears, and reminded him to trust the method that had always worked for him. His advice was psychological, not technical. And in the very next innings, at The Oval Cook reverted to his original technique, struck his first ball for four, reached the 80s by lunch, and went on to score a century — a knock that ultimately secured his place for the upcoming tour. Cook stayed on the crease for 215 minutes, faced 172 balls, and scored 110 runs before getting out on the 173rd. However, the woes continued in the fourth innings, as he scored 10 runs in the fouth Test. Notably, he scored 167 runs in that series, with 110 runs coming from the century itself. When Cook cooked Australia in 2010-11 Ashes Sir Alastair Cook scored 766 runs in the four-match Ashes- one of the highest by any player in the Ashes series so far. At Brisbane, the first Test of the tour, he stood firm at 235*, helping England recover from a first-innings deficit and draw the match — a tone-setter for the series. In the subsequent two Tests, he piled on two more centuries, at Adelaide and at Sydney, leading the top order through gritty batting under pressure. He was not only awarded the player of the series but also helped the Andrew Strauss led England to their first Ashes victory in Australia in 24 years till then. England defeated Australia by 3-1, till now the last Ashes victory for England on Australian soil.