'I'm getting constant stick' over the Ashes concluding ahead of my trip.

England supporters in Australia

Sunshine, meat pies and world-famous cricket grounds - what more could an England cricket fan possibly want?

Ideally, they'd want an contest for the urn in Australia where they still have a chance to win back the Ashes after the first three Tests.

Unfortunately, this scenario is off the table on this occasion, however, after Australia's crushing 82-run win in Adelaide left the home side 3-0 up for the fourth consecutive series on Australian grounds.

England's famous supporters' group, the organized fan base, have thousands of supporters traveling for the last two matches in New South Wales and Victoria.

Furthermore, other travel parties who will spend the Christmas period in Australia, as well as families and friends heading for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Fans with Booked Tickets

The Ryding siblings are among those affected.

The four siblings had their travel arrangements and match passes booked for the fourth and fifth Tests "a full year in advance", hoping to witness a rare England series success.

Sadly, they've observed Australia outplay the visitors in just 11 days from their house in the north of England.

"Everyone at work has been teasing me about it being over for the last two weeks," said Sam.

"We always thought that we would have the series on the line upon our arrival."

Lowered Expectations

Hope was abundant regarding the team's prospects of ending their 15-year wait for a victory down under before it began.

But they are now looking at the possibility of prolonging a streak without victory in the country to 19 matches when the Boxing Day Test begins in Melbourne this week.

The England team - and their supporters - will be hoping to sidestep 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 "renewed interest in" the longest format for England fans.

Yet the fans said they had realistic outlooks for the final two games - and all they are hoping for from the players is "some resilience".

"Every pundit references this, but it all is about fortitude. 'The aggressive approach has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, impractical batting," stated Rory Ryding.

"In a five-day Test match, you should apply yourself. Wafting outside 'outside the line has never been in the fundamentals, and that is mainly the fault the frontline batsmen."

Future Prospects

Asked whether he believed England will win a match in this contest, Sam said: "It looks like the Australians are superior currently."

"Necessarily, there must be several individuals that stands up for England and turns the game."

Despite the scoreline, the group remains anticipating the trip.

"We are going to have a fantastic experience regardless," added another sibling. "Our approach is that outlook."

"Obviously it is disappointing we can't contest the series, but we have made a substantial financial commitment already."

"We plan to savor celebrating the holidays in Australia. Additionally, it's our first experience away from home over Christmas."

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

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

Jocelyn Jenkins
Jocelyn Jenkins

A blockchain developer and tech writer passionate about decentralized systems and digital transformation.