England definitely second best by the end.
By the time they got to Sydney the fight seemed to have gone out of the bowlers, with the notable exception of Anderson - who at least showed some pride and bowled a tidy line and length in difficult conditions. Moeen Ali has looked like a man who wanted to be anywhere but on the tour since Perth.
There's been some media criticism here in Aus about England's selection choices (too many left handers? Nathan Lyon loves getting out left handers...), perhaps with the benefit of too much hind-sight, but comments regarding England's poor preparation and lack of competitive warm-up matches prior to the 1st Test have some merit I think. There's also a belief here that England's County system is "broken".
Not saying it would have made any difference to the final result, but in the end England were devoid of luck. Almost everything went against them - from the weather, almost every wicket review (or failing to review!), the thickness of painted lines, to a late-night brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol.