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Golden sun, savory pies and iconic stadiums - what else would an England cricket fan possibly want?

Ideally, they'd want an contest for the urn in Australia where they still have a chance to secure the famous trophy once the opening games are done.

That will not be happening during this tour, after the hosts' dominant 82-run win in Adelaide left the home side with a 3-0 lead for the fourth straight contest on Australian grounds.

The Barmy Army, England's supporters' group, have 3,000 fans traveling for the concluding fixtures in New South Wales and Victoria.

In addition, there are organized trips who will spend the Christmas period down under, as well as loved ones heading for a special expedition.

Fans with Booked Tickets

The Ryding siblings are four such fans.

Alex, Sam, Rory and Katie had their flights and tickets secured for the Boxing Day and New Year Tests "12 months ago", anticipating a rare England series success.

Instead, they have watched Australia dismantle the tourists in just 11 days from their residence in their hometown.

"All my colleagues has been making comments that the series is done for the last two weeks," commented one sibling.

"The hope was that we would have a meaningful contest by the time we arrived."

Diminishing Hope

Optimism was high concerning a potential victory of breaking a 15-year drought for a triumph on Australian soil ahead of the tour.

However, the situation is now looking at the possibility of continuing a barren spell in the country to 19 consecutive Tests when the Boxing Day Test begins in Melbourne on Thursday, 25 December.

The England team - and their fans - will be keen to prevent a dreaded 5-0 scoreline.

It was mentioned that the "entertainment" of head coach the positive style of play in the past couple of seasons had "reinvigorated" Test cricket for England fans.

But the Ryding siblings said they had minimal hopes for the remaining matches - and all they are hoping for from the players is "a bit of fight".

"Every pundit references this, but it all comes down to psychological strength. 'The aggressive approach has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, impractical batting," added Rory.

"During a long match, you should dig in. Playing at deliveries 'wide of off stump has never featured in the textbooks, and that is primarily due to the frontline batsmen."

Future Prospects

Prompted about he believed England will triumph in a Test in the current series, came the reply: "The evidence suggests the Aussies are just too good currently."

"Necessarily, there must be more than one player that makes a significant contribution and makes a big impact."

Despite the scoreline, the siblings are still looking forward to the trip.

"We are going to have a wonderful trip regardless," commented Katie Ryding. "We must adopt that attitude."

"Of course, it's unfortunate we can't contest the series, but we have invested a significant amount as it is."

"We'll enjoy having Christmas and New Year overseas. It is also mine and Rory's first time away from home at this time of year."

An educator, Katie is determined to make the most of the long-haul travel as part of her seasonal break.

"If all else fails, I can play golf to turn to," Katie concluded.