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

Ideally, they'd want an contest for the urn in Australia where they remain in contention to reclaim the urn once the opening games are done.

That will not be happening on this occasion, however, after the hosts' dominant triumph in Adelaide gave Australia 3-0 up for the fourth straight contest on home turf.

The loyal traveling fans, the vocal contingent, have thousands of supporters making the journey for the last two matches in the SCG and MCG.

Furthermore, other travel parties who will be vacationing overseas, as well as families and friends planning a special expedition.

The Disappointed Travelers

Four fans named Alex, Sam, Rory and Katie are a prime example.

The group had their flights and tickets secured for the Melbourne and Sydney matches "well ahead of time", anticipating a historic English victory.

Sadly, they've observed Australia defeat England convincingly in just under two weeks from their family home in Penwortham, Lancashire.

"Everyone at work has been making comments about it being over for the last two weeks," commented one sibling.

"Our expectation had been that we would have a meaningful contest still when we got there."

Diminishing Hope

Hope was abundant concerning a potential victory of ending their 15-year wait for a series win in Australia prior to the first ball.

Yet now they are looking at the possibility of continuing a barren spell in the country to 19 games when the Boxing Day Test begins in Melbourne on Thursday, 25 December.

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

It was mentioned that the "entertainment" of head coach the aggressive 'Bazball' approach in the past couple of seasons had "renewed interest in" Test cricket for England fans.

However, the group said they had minimal hopes for the remaining matches - and all they are hoping for from the players is "a show of spirit".

"Commentators consistently alludes to it, but it all hinges on mental resilience. 'Bazball' has been turned into a buzzword now that is just, like, impractical batting," added Rory.

"During a long match, you should dig in. Wafting outside 'wide of off stump has not been part of the textbooks, and that is largely because of the batting lineup."

The Remaining Matches

Prompted about he believed England will secure a victory in this contest, one fan responded: "The evidence suggests the Aussies are just too good 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 fans are excited about the trip.

"We are going to have a great time anyway," added another sibling. "We have to go with that mindset."

"Of course, it's a let-down we aren't fighting for more, but we have spent so much money by now."

"We'll enjoy spending the festive season overseas. It is also a new experience for us abroad at this time of year."

An educator, Katie is determined to make the most of the 21,000-mile round-trip as part of her time off.

"If all else fails, I can play golf to turn to," she added.