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Sunshine, meat pies and world-famous cricket grounds - what else would an supporter of the English team desire?

Realistically, they'd hope for an Ashes series in Australia where they still have a chance to win back the Ashes once the opening games are done.

Unfortunately, this scenario is off the table during this tour, after the hosts' dominant 82-run win in Adelaide left the home side leading three-nil for the fourth successive Ashes series on home turf.

The Barmy Army, the vocal contingent, have 3,000 fans flying out for the concluding fixtures in New South Wales and Victoria.

There are also travel parties who will spend the Christmas period down under, as well as families and friends embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The Ryding Siblings

A group of four supporters are a prime example.

The group had their travel arrangements and match passes arranged for the Melbourne and Sydney matches "12 months ago", dreaming of a rare England series success.

From afar, they've seen Australia defeat England convincingly in just a short period from their family home in their hometown.

"People in the office has been making comments about it being over for the last two weeks," commented one sibling.

"We always thought that we would have a meaningful contest by the time we arrived."

Lowered Expectations

Optimism was high about England's chances of breaking a 15-year drought for a victory down under prior to the first ball.

But they are now looking at the possibility of extending their winless run in the country to 19 matches when the fourth Test gets under way in the MCG on Christmas Day.

The tourists - and their followers - will be desperate to avoid a whitewash.

It was mentioned that the "entertainment" of head coach the aggressive 'Bazball' approach in recent years had "reinvigorated" Test cricket for English supporters.

But the Ryding siblings said they had minimal hopes for the fourth and fifth Tests - and all they are hoping for from the players is "some resilience".

"Every pundit references this, but it all is about psychological strength. 'Bazball' has been turned into a buzzword now that is just, like, impractical batting," commented another sibling.

"In a five-day Test match, you should hunker down. Playing at deliveries 'sixth stump' areas has not been part of the textbooks, and that is largely because of the batting lineup."

Future Prospects

When questioned if he believed England will win a match in this contest, Sam said: "It appears the Aussies are just too good right now."

"There is going to have to be several individuals that delivers for the team and makes a big impact."

Regardless of the result, the siblings are still excited about the trip.

"We are going to have a great time nonetheless," commented Katie Ryding. "Our approach is that attitude."

"Of course, it's unfortunate we aren't fighting for more, but we have made a substantial financial commitment already."

"We'll enjoy having Christmas and New Year out there. Additionally, it's a new experience for us away from home over Christmas."

A schoolteacher, Katie is focused on enjoying the long-haul travel as part of her seasonal break.

"As a backup plan, I can play golf to fall back on," Katie concluded.