'Everyone's giving me grief' over the Ashes being over prior to my arrival.

Spectators on tour

Golden sun, savory pies and iconic stadiums - what else would an Three Lions follower possibly want?

Realistically, they'd hope for an Ashes series in Australia where they remain in contention to secure the famous trophy after the first three Tests.

This is not the case during this tour, after a comprehensive victory by 82 runs in Adelaide gave Australia leading three-nil for the fourth successive Ashes series on home turf.

England's famous supporters' group, England's supporters' group, have 3,000 fans flying out for the final two Tests in New South Wales and Victoria.

Furthermore, other travel parties who will be vacationing overseas, as well as relatives and companions planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Fans with Booked Tickets

The Ryding siblings are a prime example.

Alex, Sam, Rory and Katie had their travel arrangements and match passes secured for the Melbourne and Sydney matches "a full year in advance", dreaming of a rare England series success.

From afar, they've seen Australia dismantle the tourists in just 11 days from their family home in the north of England.

"Everyone at work has been making comments about it being over for the last two weeks," stated Sam Ryding.

"The hope was that we would have a meaningful contest still when we got there."

Fading Positivity

There was plenty of positivity concerning a potential victory of securing a first win in 15 years for a triumph on Australian soil before it began.

However, the situation is now facing the prospect of prolonging a streak without victory in the country to 19 games when the next match starts in Melbourne this week.

The tourists - and their fans - will be hoping to sidestep a clean sweep.

It was mentioned that the "entertainment" of head coach the aggressive 'Bazball' approach in recent years had "reinvigorated" the five-day game for followers of the team.

However, the group said they had minimal hopes for the fourth and fifth Tests - and all they are requesting from the players is "some resilience".

"All analysts references this, but it all is about mental resilience. 'This style has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, unrealistic play," stated Rory Ryding.

"Over the course of five days, you should hunker down. Chasing balls 'outside the line has never featured in the coaching manuals, and that is mainly the fault the batting lineup."

Looking Ahead

Asked whether he believed England will secure a victory in this contest, came the reply: "The evidence suggests the hosts are a stronger side at the moment."

"It will require more than one player that stands up for England and produces a match-winning display."

Despite the scoreline, the siblings are still anticipating the trip.

"We are going to have a wonderful trip nonetheless," added another sibling. "We must adopt that attitude."

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

"We will make the most of having Christmas and New Year in Australia. This will be our first experience traveling over Christmas."

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

"As a backup plan, there's always golf to turn to," Katie concluded.

Katherine Salazar
Katherine Salazar

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in helping UK businesses scale through technology and marketing innovations.