ORLANDO, Fla. -- MLS Players Association executive director Bob Foose said that a work stoppage is "never the goal" but that the MLSPA is preparing for one if an agreement can't be reached with the league on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The MLSPA met with members of the media ahead of Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game against Atletico Madrid. The meeting included Foose, director of player relations Ty Harden as well as bargaining committee members Brad Guzan of Atlanta United, LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman and Atlanta defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez.

With the existing CBA set to expire on Jan. 31, 2020, Foose said that the union has been in consistent discussions with the league. But he added that the MLSPA has already begun preparing for a possible work stoppage, with players drawing up plans for alternative housing and training options.

"A strike is never the goal, and it's not our goal," said Foose. "If we each come to the table and work hard to find common ground, I'm very confident we can reach an agreement that will benefit both the player pool and the league. That's my hope and the hope of all the players. If it doesn't happen, at that point the player pool will be making a decision as to whether or not they're willing to play with the terms that are on the table."

- Garber defends pace of MLS expansion reveals
- Carlisle: Top moments from past MLS All-Star games

He added, "Our players have been preparing and talked consistently over the last year for the possibility of a stoppage. We continue to talk about it and make plans both big picture and little details kinds of plans. That's what we have to do. We have to be prepared."

When asked if the union's strike fund is sufficiently large enough for the players to ride out an extended work stoppage, Foose said he felt it was, although he added that reaching a successful deal will depend on other factors.

"You can never have too much money in a strike fund, especially when you're negotiation against mostly billionaires. The strike fund is a lot bigger, the [union] staff is a lot bigger. We will use every penny and every minute of our time to help players through a stoppage. But the reality is that's not what is going to make it successful. It's going to be the work that the players put in through their solidarity, their leadership, and educating their younger teammates as to what this is about."

Foose laid out the union's goals for a new agreement. They include players having more say on where they live and work, as well as a fairer system in which players can compete for dollars instead of being pigeon-holed into roster spots that have a limited range of salaries. The MLSPA will also push for more transparency and accountability by the league's clubs by giving the teams more freedom to construct rosters as they see fit, rather than be dictated to by the league.

"If you're going to be a league of choice and you're going to compete with the best leagues in the world, at its most basic level it means MLS starting to look and act like leagues you compete with," said Foose.

In terms of league investment, the MLSPA wants teams to travel by charter more often, the idea being it will improve the product on the field through better preparation and recovery.

"Because of the country we live in, the travel requirements are massive," said Guzan. "Not spending three quarters of the day in an airport, not allowing your body to become fatigued mentally and physically, ultimately charter flights allow you to get to your destination much quicker in a way that allows you to be focused solely on the game and physically you feel much better stepping on the field. It's the same thing after the game."

Soccer's world governing body FIFA has approved the expansion of the Women's World Cup from the existing 24 teams to 32 for the 2023 edition and reopened the bidding process for potential hosts.

"The FIFA Council has unanimously agreed to a proposal to expand the number of teams taking part in the women's World Cup from 24 to 32, with effect as of the next edition of the tournament in 2023," it said in a statement.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Twenty years ago, Don Garber stood on a podium at a news conference in New York, having just been named as the new commissioner of MLS, and proceeded to be, as he put it, "lambasted." The Los Angeles Times reported on the hiring as "A Bad Choice in Any Language."

Garber was an NFL executive with no connection to the game of soccer who was basically being asked to lead MLS out of the wilderness. As it turned out, the move proved to be astute. Under Garber's leadership, MLS has grown to 24 teams in 2019 with three more on the way; average attendance has increased 55 percent since his first season. There have been some stumbles, the ill-advised experiment that was Chivas USA being one example, but overall Garber's tenure has been a tremendous success.

The challenges are never-ending, however, with the next round of expansion to ponder as well as the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation. With a new five-year contract signed earlier this year, Garber still has time to further put his stamp on the league and told ESPN of his hopes and expectations.

JUMP TO GARBER ON: Chicago Fire rebrand? | How Leagues Cup has gone so far? |What Zlatan HAS done for MLS

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

- Garber defends pace of MLS expansion reveals

- Carlisle: Top moments from past MLS All-Star games

ESPN: You've been commissioner for 20 years. What are your thoughts on being in this position that long?

Garber: I never thought I'd be at the helm of the league for 20 years. I continue to just be amazed that it seems like yesterday that I was at an opening press conference in New York. It's been a really wild, but fulfilling experience for me, both personally and professionally. I've devoted most of my career at this point to building MLS, and trying to do my part to grow the game overall in North America and even around the world. I came into the league with very little knowledge of the sport, but take pride in how much I've learned over the last two decades and how passionate I am about the game, and the contributions that I've made to the sport.

ESPN: What was the lowest moment, the toughest moment?

Garber: Without a doubt, the most challenging time for me was the earliest years, even before we made the decision to contract and reorganize and start SUM (Soccer United Marketing).

From the very beginning it was clear to me that the premise of a Division 1 league coming out of the World Cup was right, and it was launched at the right time. There was pent-up demand for the sport, there was a great level of momentum that was coming out of the World Cup. But all the pieces were not yet in place because I don't think any of us understood what the true plan needed to be.

We had not yet figured out what were the right environments for our players and fans. How do we create value for investors so we can continue to expand the league? Where should we be investing money on the player side, and what was the relationship between star players and young players in our academies? How could we build a commercial market so that our clubs and the league overall could drive revenues from companies that were interested in the sport?

All of that evolved over the last 20 years, and the earliest years we didn't have the elements of a long-range plan in place. So we went through an organization in '01. It was an absolute triage moment. If we didn't get out of operating teams, if we didn't fold a handful of teams that we saw had no future either because of ownership issues or facility issues, if we didn't start SUM with a $100 million investment, we wouldn't have been able to grow a commercial which is an absolute necessity to grow a pro sports league. There were times when we were all sitting around a table looking each other in the eye, and having bankruptcy lawyers in another room, trying to figure out if the league can go forward.

ESPN: What was the highest moment, and what to do you think your legacy is?

Garber: I don't think there is a particular moment, but a series of moments that I continue to get excited about. The opening up of the first soccer-specific stadium in my tenure, which was then the Home Depot Center and is now Dignity Health Sports Park in '03, was an absolute highlight and put us on the path to where we are now, which I think will be one of the legacies from this period in time. We've created a legitimate foundation for the sport from a facility perspective with now 27 stadiums opening up. The thought of investing billions and billions and billions of dollars in building cathedrals for our players and fans was absolutely the furthest thing from our mind in the early days. So I am very proud of the fact that those stadiums will stand the test of time and will be a part of one of the significant chapters in the book that will be written about MLS decades from now.

I'm very proud of the commitment of our ownership to really believe in the future of our league and to build relevance around their clubs and to invest deeply in the product on the field, but also to get involved personally. So I think one of my legacies will be to build the ownership group that exists today that so believe in MLS and the sport of soccer in America and really love the game.

The last thing would be that games come and go, teams come and go, even team ownership shifts over generations. But the legacy we'll leave behind are our community efforts. Those things last forever. The fact that we have players engaged in every single market in the U.S. and Canada, and in all of our events at MLS Cup and the All-Star Game, and our building stadiums, and coaching kids and creating life experiences for those that don't' have the opportunity to experience that without us, is something that really warms my heart.

ESPN: What do you make of the recent incident in which the Seattle Sounders supporters' group Emerald City Supporters received a formal warning about displaying an Iron Front three-arrows flag at a recent match?

Garber: We have a fan code of conduct in which we've worked closely with our clubs, and our own internal operations group to ensure that our own stadiums are free of political signage. I so much support having signage in our stadiums, and having environments that I think tell a story about MLS here and around the world. But it is a very strict policy that we don't allow political signage, and it's not a question of judgement about which group is right and which group is wrong, which group we should support or not support.

We basically have created a policy that takes any decision-making off the table. Our stadiums are not environments where our fans should be expressing political views because you then are automatically opening yourself up to allowing counterviews. Then we're getting into a situation which is unmanageable and really not why the vast, vast majority of fans go to games. We just saw some research that was done where the vast majority of fans do not see sports events as environments that should be driven by politics. They want to go to a game and experience it and participate in a game without having to be confronted by issues that might make them uncomfortable. Any time you have a political statement, whether I personally or the league agrees with it or not, you automatically are leaving yourself open to counterviews which might be very objectionable to a majority of people who are in the stadium.

ESPN: But where you do draw the line, though? What if someone walks in with a Make America Great Again hat? Is a rainbow flag considered a political statement?

Garber: A rainbow flag is not a political statement. In this case the Iron Front is a political organization.

ESPN: What about a Make America Great Again hat?

Garber: It's hard for me to respond to those kinds of things. I don't want to get engaged with that. It's very simple: We do not allow for political signage in our stadiums. It's a process we went through with our clubs. They were very engaged in it, and it's something that the league and me as commissioner are supportive of.

ESPN: In terms of legalized sports betting -- and obviously that's going through a legislative process in various states -- is that something that the league is embracing? You have Premier League teams with jersey sponsorships from betting houses. Is that where this is heading?

Garber: We, like all the leagues, have been working hard to better understand the change to the [Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act] ruling that provides states the opportunity to create their own guidelines and their own legal approach to sports betting. As to that, we formed a relationship with MGM. We were one of five major leagues that have done that. We do have a relationship with DraftKings that will also be working in that space. I think we're going to continue to ensure that we're in front of what we think can be a great opportunity for our league and our clubs. At the same time, I view it not as a true revenue opportunity. I view it as a way we can provide our fans with the chance to be able to connect more closely with our clubs, connect more closely with our players, and to use it as a way to develop new ways for fans to engage with our league.

ESPN: What do you make of the talk that Chicago is going to rebrand?

Garber: Chicago is going through a very positive transformation and relaunch of their club, starting with the move from Bridgeview to Soldier Field. I know that they have been spending some time looking at their brand. It's not something I have an opinion on. It's something the team needs to continue to work on determining what the look and feel of the club is going to be as they go through the relaunch of the entire Chicago Fire fan experience. Much more than that, I understand that some fans have a point of view on it, but I have great faith in Nelson Rodriguez and his staff. I'm sure they'll do deep research and will work both internally and externally that is going to be the right outcome.

ESPN: Can they make money in Soldier Field to the same degree they did in SeatGeek Stadium?

Garber: They're clearly moving down there to Soldier Field because they think it's the best way to engage fans in Chicago. There have been challenges in Bridgeview that we're all well aware of. We all know it's a great soccer market, it's a fabulous sports market. I believe in their team and I believe in their ownership, and I think the move downtown will be the right one.

Editor's note: The Fire have reached an agreement with the City of Bridgeview to leave SeatGeek Stadium. They do not have an agreement yet with Soldier Field.

ESPN: How do you think the Leagues Cup has gone so far?

Garber: So far, so good. It's the first year. We had some good crowds in some markets. We had crowds that I think could have been better if we had a bit more planning. The semifinals are selling well in Houston. The game in Los Angeles is selling well. I would have preferred to have more than one [MLS] team in the semifinals. Every journey starts with a small step.

ESPN: Is competing with Liga MX teams going to require a ramp up in spending on player contracts and transfer fees?

Garber: I think our teams are moving in the right direction to be more competitive against Liga MX clubs. We've seen that not this year, but the previous year in the CONCACAF Champions League. I don't think that it's about spending per se. A lot of our challenges in the CCL have been schedule related. I'm confident that we're on the right track. This is a lot about focus and prioritizing those games. We believe those games are important and our clubs need to decide if these games are as important as the league thinks. I don't think you can look at the performance in Leagues Cup and CCL this year and think it's about spending.

ESPN: Is an MLS/Liga MX Super League the end game?

Garber: This starts with a very, very close relationship that both MLS and Liga MX have with CONCACAF. Both leagues are committed to CCL, so we need to figure out where does this tournament fit with the CCL and how could we work as a confederation with two strong leagues and a number of emerging leagues, how can we work together to make our confederation stronger and more competitive with the other confederations around the world. There's going to be a new World Club Championship where our teams are not just going to be tested against leagues in our region, but tested against leagues around the world. We're all focused on having more competitive matches so we can get better in international competition.

ESPN: Obviously, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has brought a lot of attention to the league, but when he says, " i'm like a Ferrari among Fiats," what do you make of those comments?

Garber: When you sign Zlatan you get both incredible on-field performance and you get one of the most creative and unique personalities in the world. When I read that comment I smiled. I wasn't the slightest bit angry. That was Zlatan at Zlatan's best. Then he went out and scored three goals in El Trafico and put up after making some pretty strong comments. If I was concerned about Zlatan's comments, we wouldn't have been as supportive as we were about his signing. It's so much fan buzz. Zlatan has been great for the league. The Galaxy-LAFC game was one of the better games in the history of our league. It broke through all the clutter. I heard from a reporter in L.A. who said that we owned the city of Los Angeles in the week leading up to El Trafico and the game itself. That is what we've been striving for and Zlatan helped us deliver that.

Liverpool's situation this offseason presented a different set of challenges. They are champions of Europe and finished second in the Premier League with the third-highest points total in history. But even for clubs in their position, every move comes at a cost. On the one hand, they want to reward the players who did so well for them and keep them happy. On the other, they want to avoid complacency. On the one hand, there are areas of the pitch that can and should be upgraded. On the other, they want to tread carefully, so as not to disrupt a team for whom chemistry, more so than for others, is critical.

The assumption is that they can budget for a net spend of up to £100 million, though they don't need to blow it all this summer, and despite an underwhelming preseason run of results, it's unlikely that they will.

That said, Mark Ogden and Gabriele Marcotti were tasked with figuring it out.

Jump to: Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Overall assessment

GOALKEEPERS

Alisson (26 years old, contract expires in 2024)

VERDICT: Keep

Simon Mignolet (31, 2021)

OGDEN: "It's good to have reliable cover, but I think he'll want to go, and you're not going to extend him. So from his perspective, I'm not sure he'll want to be a number two."

MARCOTTI: "He's on starter wages, so it's not wise to give him a new deal. You can get reasonable value for him, and I think he feels he needs to play, as he's far and away the first option to be Thibaut Courtois' back up with Belgium. But if he never gets on the pitch, that may change."

VERDICT: Sell (Estimated value: £10-15 million)

Caoiminh Kelleher (20, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Loris Karius (25, 2023)

OGDEN: "He's at Besiktas, and it's a two-year loan, so he has another season, but there was some uncertainty over whether the loan may be cancelled. If somebody will buy him, then maybe you sell with a good sell-on clause. But he can't come back to Anfield just yet."

MARCOTTI: "He had a full season as a regular on a good team like Besiktas. That can only help him long-term. Leave him on loan there or, if not, loan him elsewhere."

VERDICT: Loan him out again, sell if you can (Estimated value: £10 million with sell-on clause)

DEFENDERS

Virgil Van Dijk (27 years old, contract expires in 2023)

OGDEN: "He's their best player, and he helped deliver the Champions League. It's important, I think, that he get the wage he wants to avoid him being tempted by a move elsewhere."

MARCOTTI: "I agree. He's on his original deal. You wouldn't extend him because you risk losing him, but rather because of the message it sends. And it's the right thing to do."

VERDICT: Keep and extend

Joe Gomez (22, 2024)

VERDICT: Keep

Joel Matip (27, 2020)

OGDEN: "You extend him as a reward and to protect the asset."

MARCOTTI: "If you were sure Gomez was going to be fit and you were bringing in another central defender, maybe you'd be ruthless. But you can't afford to take risks, so I'd give him an extension."

VERDICT: Keep and extend

Dejan Lovren (29, 2021)

OGDEN: "Cash in on him now. You hope to upgrade the position, and he's the odd man out."

MARCOTTI: "He has some value if you sell him now, he has experience, and he's a World Cup finalist. But there's no point to keep him hanging around. Sell."

VERDICT: Sell (Estimated value: £10-£15 million)

Andrew Robertson (25, 2024)

VERDICT: Keep

Trent Alexander-Arnold (20, 2024)

VERDICT: Keep

Nathaniel Clyne (28, 2020)

MARCOTTI: "You're covered at right-back with Alexander-Arnold and Gomez, so best to cash in. With a year left, maybe you'd have gotten £10-15 million, but his recent torn ACL injury means Liverpool may be stuck."

OGDEN: "I agree, but in the stupid world of the Premier League, maybe you'll get a Bournemouth or a West Ham who'd still buy a former England international when he's fit again. Time will tell."

VERDICT: Can't sell now, so rehab him and revisit

MIDFIELDERS

Fabinho (25 years old, contract expires in 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Naby Keita (24, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Georginio Wijnaldum (28, 2021)

OGDEN: "He had a great season, and he's very versatile, but do you extend with two years to go? Maybe you offer him another year and a pay rise?"

MARCOTTI: "If you're ruthless, you should sell. Consider his age and contract situation and fact that his value won't get any higher. But I guess emotion plays a part, so offer him a one-year extension and a significant bump in wages. I don't think you can give him more than that."

VERDICT: Keep and extend

Jordan Henderson (29, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (25, 2022)

VERDICT: Keep

James Milner (33, 2020)

VERDICT: Keep

Adam Lallana (31, 2020)

VERDICT: Keep, decide later

OGDEN: "He has to prove his fitness before you offer to extend. Make a decision in January, and see where he fits in. Klopp likes him, but if he doesn't get on the pitch, maybe he has value in the transfer market."

MARCOTTI: "I'd consider selling now, but because he hasn't played much at all, you won't get much for him. So maybe best to decide in January. He should get more minutes in the first half of the season."

Ovie Ejaria (21, 2022)

VERDICT: Loan

Curtis Jones (18, 2022)

VERDICT: Loan

Marko Grujic (23, 2023)

OGDEN: "Sell. He's been around long enough and had no impact. You can get £10 million for him, which is twice what they paid for him."

MARCOTTI: "He was on loan at Hertha Berlin and is due to be there again next season. It's odd because he's been at Anfield since 2016, never started a league game, and yet they gave him a five-year extension last summer. I guess you loan and hope his value rises and sell next year."

VERDICT: Mixed

FORWARDS

Sheyi Ojo (21 years old, contract expires in 2022)

VERDICT: Already loaned to Rangers

Sadio Mane (27, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Ben Woodburn (19, 2022)

VERDICT: Went on loan to Oxford United

Harry Wilson (22, 2023)

OGDEN: "You loan him again, but he might want to move on so he can play regularly, in which case you'd have to listen to offers. Had a good season last year at Derby."

MARCOTTI: "I'd assess this closer to the end of the transfer window, but I'd be tempted to keep him and give him a shot, especially with Liverpool's front three all coming back from summer tournaments. Otherwise, yes: You loan, but he might ask to be sold if he thinks there's no pathway to the first team at Anfield."

VERDICT: Mixed

Roberto Firmino (27, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Xherdan Shaqiri (27, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

Divock Origi (24, 2020)

VERDICT: Extend and keep (Origi signed new long-term deal)

Ryan Kent (22, 2022)

OGDEN: "He's had five different loan spells, but this is the first year where he has really had an impact. But if he's not going to play at Liverpool, best to take the money."

MARCOTTI: "He had a good season at Rangers last year, and there are reports they want to buy him outright. If you don't sell, you need to extend him. Then again, he doesn't seem to have a future at Anfield, so best to sell, I think."

VERDICT: Extend and loan, sell if offer high enough (north of £10 million)

Rhian Brewster (19, 2023)

OGDEN: "They have high hopes for him, so keep and play him. He can only benefit from being around the first team."

MARCOTTI: "I guess the key is getting him minutes, and ordinarily I'd want him to go on loan. But depending what happens with the rest of the forwards, it makes sense to keep him around at least for the first half of the season. If he's not playing, then loan him in January."

VERDICT: Keep

Mohamed Salah (27, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Between the sales Liverpool have already made and the ones we're projecting, they could raise as much as £60-100 million. Plus, we've budgeted a net spend of £100 million, which is far from unreasonable, given the revenue from winning the Champions League and finishing second in the Premier League last season. That's a veritable war chest.

Off the bat, they'll need a left-back to provide an alternative to Andy Robertson, but we're talking backup quality here. If Mignolet goes, they'll need a reserve keeper. Neither is going to be particularly expensive, though, and it will be up to them whether they opt for veterans who are happy to be squad players or pricier youngsters who might be willing to serve an apprenticeship. (Given that Alisson is 26 and Robertson 25, it could be a very long apprenticeship.)

With Sturridge gone, a center-forward might come in handy. The front three played a lot of football last year, and each was involved in a summer tournament. Brewster might not be ready to be the main backup, and Origi, despite his occasional heroics last year, is a step down. You don't want to block Brewster's pathway, but equally, you need to be prepared.

If Lovren goes, you'll want another central defender. The question is whether to spend big on a top-shelf guy or a squad player. We'd lean toward the former, especially if it's a younger player. They could also use some creativity in midfield to unlock defences that park the bus. Keita was supposed to provide it, and though he showed glimpses, he's obviously not yet at the level Liverpool hoped he would be when they signed him.

In all three roles -- center-back, creative midfield, center forward -- it's a case of not being forced into a signing but having the funds if the opportunity arises. That's a great position to be in.

There is one other factor to think about that will need to be addressed over the next few transfer windows. Salah, Mane and Firmino are all 27, and all go out of contract in 2023. Van Dijk, Shaqiri and Matip are also all 27, and the former two also go out of contract in 2023. You don't want a team where the best players all get old at once, which means there might be some tough decisions up ahead.

We're not quite there yet, but at some point, they'll need to start thinking about succession and how they want to deal with it.

Jofra Archer's hotly anticipated Test debut will be deferred at least until the second Test at Lord's, after he was omitted from the first Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday to continue his rehabilitation from a side strain.

Though Archer was named in the 14-man squad for Edgbaston, he was always a long shot for selection, after admitting he had played through "excruciating" pain in helping England to win the World Cup with a haul of 20 wickets at 23.05, before sending down the decisive Super Over in the final against New Zealand at Lord's.

"Jofra is coming back from quite a serious injury," said England's captain, Joe Root. "We looked at conditions and made a decision on what we thought would best take 20 wickets here. It also gives him time to get absolutely ready and fit to make sure he has his workloads up and ready to go for later in the series if he needs to make an impact. [His fitness] will be monitored throughout the week. It's important that he's ready to go to offer something different."

Archer made his playing comeback in a T20 for Sussex last week, having had a brief break in his native Barbados to recover from the rigours of the World Cup. And to judge by England's struggles in their Test against Ireland, several of his team-mates might have benefitted from similar down-time.

Root, however, was adamant that an Ashes campaign was every bit as important as the tournament already gone.

"I think if you speak to anyone who has captained England and is on the verge of an Ashes series, to say it doesn't mean as much as any other event, I don't think any of them would agree," he said. "It's huge. It's a great opportunity. Cricket in this country is probably at an all-time high, it's got interest it probably hasn't had for a long time and we've got an opportunity as a team to make this summer a very memorable one. That's exciting, to be involved and have that carrot in front of us is a great motivator for the whole squad."

In Archer's absence, England's attack will be spearheaded by the old guard of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, whose record-breaking partnership was broken up briefly for last week's Ireland Test. Though Broad starred with four second-innings wickets as Ireland were bowled out for 38, Anderson missed the match to continue his recovery from a calf injury.

And, even though Anderson turned 37 on Tuesday, Root remains in no doubt about his enduring value to England's Test team, as he looks to build on his record tally of 575 wickets in what will be his eighth Ashes series.

"He's still someone that genuinely continues to improve," he said. "You just have to look at his numbers these last few years. Conditions have suited him but he's absolutely made the most of it. He probably had his best tour of Australia in the recent past, he continues to find ways of taking wickets and building pressure on any given surface, he continues to be a great leader of our attack. At 37, to keep improving is a great trait to have, great for English cricket."

Root confirmed England's XI for the Edgbaston Test on the eve of the match, but insisted that Archer would have a part to play in the series.

"I wouldn't have named it if I wasn't confident. We are very excited as a group," Root said. "We have a good record here as a team. It's very important that we are very focused and very clear on how we want to approach this series and that first day in particular. We feel confident this group of players is more than capable of winning this Test match.

Joe Root has insisted it was his decision to move back to No. 3 in the England line-up and hopes the change proves his determination to take tough decisions for the benefit of the team.

England's top-order has struggled for several years and, going into the Ashes, it appeared they may field a top three with just 11 caps - and no centuries - between them.

But while Root has previously made no secret of his preference to bat at No. 4, it became apparent earlier this week that he was going to move up the order in an attempt to add some experience in the top three. And while that could have been interpreted as Root bowing to the views of others in the team management - Trevor Bayliss, the coach, and Ed Smith, the head selector, have believed for some time that he should bat at No. 3 - he says it was a decision he came to independently during the Test against Ireland.

"It was completely my decision," Root said. "I came to the final decision in the Ireland match. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. It's an opportunity for me to get in there earlier to spread out the experience.

"I've always thought the best thing for the team is for me to score runs. And for a long time my record at No.4 would suggest that would be the best thing. But, where we are as a team currently and where I'm at as a captain, I'm a good enough player to be able to make the same returns at No.3.

"There are a number of different ways you can lead. This is just another opportunity to take my leadership forward and sort of show the rest of the group that it is something I'm more than prepared to do. I'm not expecting anyone to do something that I wouldn't."

Root has batted at No. 3 previously. He spent much of 2016 - before he was captain - in the role, though it was noticeable that he reverted to No. 4 as soon as he took on the leadership. And while he returned to No. 3 during the English summer of 2018, he struggled for runs (he averaged 29.22 in the Test against India and Pakistan that summer when he batted at No. 3) and moved back to No.4 during the final Test. In all, he averages 40.47 in 40 innings with two centuries and 10 half-centuries in the position. He averages 48.00 in 60 innings with seven centuries and 19 half-centuries at No. 4.

He hopes, however, that his growing experience of captaincy has helped him compartmentalise the differing demands upon him and allow him to enjoy as much success a little further up the order.

"Having captained this side for a while, I feel I can get my head around juggling leading on the field and batting," Root said. "Hopefully we'll see that in my batting and this can be a series where I stamp my authority in the role and make it my own. I'm excited to take on that challenge."

Root admits, however, that this could be a series dominated by bowlers. He knows that England's decision to utilise a brand of Dukes ball with a particularly prominent seam may result in lower scores and accepts that his side may have to adapt to that reality. But he believes they must also stick to their natural games and has urged Jason Roy to continue to take the attack to the bowlers.

"We understand that, especially in England, it can be very difficult at the top of the order," Root said. "It's how you react to that: are we skilful and smart enough to make big scores? We have exploited bowler-friendly conditions over the past few years and found ways of winning matches in England. We have a good record here. It is set up nicely to be a juicy contest.

"So there is a lot of talk about bowlers, but with that comes the opportunity for batters to prove a point. You have to play to your strengths and Jason has been picked to play in his own manner at the top of the order. It's very exciting that we have gone that way. It gives us something slightly different. He has the opportunity to put pressure on the opposition at the top of the order.

"We have gone about things in a certain way for a long time and this is an opportunity to try something different. We feel like he is a high-quality international player. He has a point to prove in Test cricket, but he has a very good game on him. I'm very excited to see that unfold."

The ICC have released the playing conditions for the inaugural World Test Championship, which begins on August 1 with the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Edgbaston. Here's what's new.

Separating teams level on points

If at the end of the group stage, two or more teams are level on points, the team with more series wins will take the higher spot on the table. If they are level on that front, runs-per-wicket ratio - defined as runs scored per wicket lost, divided by runs conceded per wicket taken - will be factored in.

Abandoned matches

An abandoned match will be treated as a draw. But if the match is abandoned because of an unfit pitch or outfield, the home team will be penalised, and points for a win will be awarded to the visiting side.

ALSO READ: All you need to know about the 2019-21 World Test Championship

Over-rate calculations

Over rates will be calculated the same way in which it is currently used, with an expectation of 15 overs per hour. However, the playing conditions have introduced some new exclusions for when a team bowls out a side quickly or does not bowl more than 60 overs in the match.

• When a side is bowled out in 60 overs or less, and the bowling team has not exceeded the over-rate limit, that innings will not be included in the bowling team's match over-rate calculation.

• When a side bowls out the opposition twice, and in doing so does not complete more than 120 overs in total, that team will be exempt from any over-rate penalties.

• When a team doesn't bowl more than 60 overs in a match, that team will be exempt from any over-rate penalties.

Over-rate penalties

As previously announced, captains will no longer bear a bigger brunt for slow over-rates than the rest of the members of his team, and there will be no danger of suspension for being behind the required rate. Instead, all players will face equal fines, and teams will lose WTC points if they are found to be behind the rate.

• For each over a team is found to be short, a Penalty Over will be incurred

• For each Penalty Over, there will be two WTC points deducted from the team's total

• All players will be fined the same as the captain for over-rate offences - 20% of their match fee per Penalty Over, up to a maximum of 100%

• There will be no escalation in penalties for repeat offences

Concussion substitutes

As revealed earlier this month, teams will be able to replace players who suffer concussions on the field of play with a like-for-like replacement. For this to happen, the following conditions must be met.

• The player must be diagnosed with a concussion suffered on the field of play by a team medical representative

• A request for a substitute is put in within 36 hours of the incident

• Teams must name a like-for-like replacement, to be approved by the ICC match referee

• Once replaced, the concussed player may take no further part in the game

Like-for-like replacements will be at the discretion of the match referee, to ensure a team doesn't change the balance of their team through a substitution. For example, a fast bowler should replace a fast bowler, except when the team only has a batting innings remaining, where a spin bowler of similar batting ability would be considered a like-for-like replacement. The match referee may place restrictions on the role a substitute can play. For example, if an allrounder replaces a batsman in the side, the replacement will not be allowed to bowl.

Decision Review System

DRS will be mandatory for all matches.

The final

The World Test Championship final will be played from June 10-14 2021, with a reserve day available. If the final is tied or drawn, the title will be shared.

The full World Test Championship Final Playing Conditions will be announced in early 2021.

Lord's may have to give up one of two bilateral Test matches it is scheduled to host in 2021 if the ICC is to get its wish for a showpiece World Test Championship (WTC) final at an iconic venue after the fashion of the Centenary Tests of 1977 and 1980.

Those matches, between England and Australia at the MCG and Lord's, were part of the inspiration for the concept of a Test Championship, culminating in a gala one-off match to determine the best team in the world over the preceding two years. Lord's, widely known as 'the home of cricket', might be viewed as an obvious venue for the final and is understood to be the preferred location by some at the ICC.

But Lord's is already scheduled to host two Tests in the English summer of 2021. While only one of them, a match between England and India, is currently confirmed, it is anticipated the ground will also host Afghanistan's first Test against England earlier in the season.

Were Lord's to be allocated the Test Championship final, one of those matches - probably the Afghanistan Test; it is hard to envisage any ground giving up the right to host an India Test - would almost certainly need to go elsewhere. Edgbaston, who are not scheduled to host a Test in 2021, would be one obvious candidate should such a game become available, though The Oval, the oldest Test ground in England, and Old Trafford, would be among those keen to host the WTC final.

Both the ICC and member nations are hopeful that the WTC will inject far broader interest into Test cricket beyond its strongholds in England and Australia, where the prestigious nature of the fight for the Ashes has long defined the long-from game in both countries.

Other nations, particularly the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies, have struggled to maintain interest in Test cricket in part because they lack the chance to lift a trophy in a single defining moment as world champions - something afforded to teams in both the ODI and Twenty20 formats.

England has been chosen as the venue for the final in part because of the popularity for Test cricket in the country and the hope that the grounds would be full even if England are not playing.

Should the Australian touring team want a few pointers on how to deal with a febrile Edgbaston crowd over the next five days, they would do well to ponder the experiences of Mark Taylor.

22 years ago he was right at the centre of the storm leading Australia into a Test match that has gone down in history as the loudest and most raucous Test match ever played in England. Taylor entered the match in the grips of what might easily have been a career-ending slump, 11 Tests and 19 innings without passing 50, and ended it on the losing side.

But along the way he found a way to carve out a century that broke the sequence, and helped to take the heat out of an issue that was threatening to engulf the team. 1-0 down but having righted the ship, Taylor's men went on to claim the series, 3-2. Asked to recall how he dealt with an Edgbaston crowd that was in tumult in day one, when the Australians were shot out for 118 having been 50 for 8, Taylor had recollections that may well be relevant to Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in particular.

"In 1997 when I went out to bat in that second innings, I made a conscious effort to look at the crowd," Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. "When I looked around as I walked out, I didn't see people booing me and wanting to continue my slump. I saw people, yes, wanting England to win, but also saw people wanting good cricket. Maybe that's looking through rose-coloured glasses, but I remember when I made my hundred in that game that I took my helmet off and I looked around and I could see people were genuinely thrilled for me.

"They're the same crowd that's going to be there on Thursday. Yes, sure they're going to bring in bits of sandpaper and they're going to talk about what happened in South Africa and what have you. And they're going to hope that England are going to win the first Test. But at the same time they're also going to want to see some good cricket, that's the way I've always looked at crowds, and therefore they haven't really worried me that much over the years - that's how I would be approaching it."

Taylor is in England to commentate on the series for Nine, and was reminded of 1997 via the unusual sleeping hours familiar to many an Australian just arrived in the UK. "I woke up at 5am because I was a bit jetlagged and they were going through Edgbaston Test matches. It got to 1997 and I watched it," he said. "The crowd, I didn't realise they were that loud, I don't remember them being that loud.

"And when they won on the final day, Alec Stewart hit Warney to the extra cover boundary, the crowd stormed onto the field, they were nuts. I didn't remember that, I just remembered thinking we had to improve. If your head's in the crowd, it means you're not worrying about your own game. I think Smithy, Warner and Cam Bancroft, they shouldn't be thinking about the crowd, they should be thinking about how they play their best cricket, and if they do that, they'll keep that crowd quiet."

As captain of Australia, Smith had listed Taylor as one of his mentors, and the pair have maintained contact over the past year, vexed as it was by the decision of the Cricket Australia Board - of which Taylor was then a member - to ban Smith and Warner for a year, and Bancroft for nine months. The intense and introspective visage of Smith has been noticeable to many since he arrived in England, and Taylor believes that the 30-year-old needs the validation of a Test century to feel more at ease with the world.

"I think with Smithy, what he needs, and is still yearning for, is a big score," Taylor said. "We saw in the World Cup semi-final that he's still a class player - he looked a class above the rest in that innings. I think when he makes a big score, hopefully in this series, that'll be him fully back in the Australian side. There's probably a part of him that would still like to captain the side again, and maybe he will, but I think he also loves the game and playing the game so he's happy enough at this stage to be back.

"He'd love to be making runs like he was 18 months ago. When he makes a big score and raises the bat for a Test match hundred, that'll be a great sign for Australian cricket that he is back. I think David Warner has already got himself back with the World Cup, so Smithy now needs that big score to tick the last box.

"Talking to Steve Waugh, one of the things he noticed from this team and someone like Smithy is how many balls he hits, and that's one of the biggest differences he's seen with the training. In our day we had net sessions and liked to hit balls, but nowhere near the volume of balls that someone like Steve Smith does. He's in a different stratosphere in terms of ball hitting. He had a 45-minute net today, that's a huge net, that'd be three nets from yesteryear - you used to get about 15 minutes."

As an opening batsman, the 1997 century gave Taylor three out of three in the first Tests of the series he played in England, also including 1989 and 1993. Those innings and their circumstances have left him thinking that Warner and Bancroft may well be hoping to be sent in to bat on Thursday, for a chance to capitalise on nervous bowlers while also feeling like the pressure is off them.

"Making that hundred on day one at Headingley was huge for me and the team at the time. AB went after the bowling, which helped, and I got a lot of confidence from the fact that they sent us in," Taylor said. "I used to love being sent in as an opening batsman, because I always felt that took the pressure off me as a batsman, the opposition captain thinks it is going to do plenty, so they put you in. Straightaway the onus is on the bowling team to bowl you out, not necessarily you to make runs, even though that is your job.

"I batted out there with Boony and Swamp for a while and it didn't do a lot. It swung a little bit, then AB came in and took them on and before you knew it we were 2 for 120 and I thought 'hey this is going alright'. In 1993, there'd been a lot of rain around and they put us in again, and then Slats and I both made runs to be 0 for 100. Slats made 50 in his first Test, I made 100, and once again, bowling first can be a huge disadvantage if you don't get it right."

More than two decades since the 1997 century, Taylor still carries the air that helped him so much as captain of Australia: jovial, confident but not arrogant, and conscious that life could be so much worse than not making enough runs. "I've always tried to look at cricket as a game," he said.

"Whether Australia wins or loses the Ashes is not going to change the world" Mark Waugh

"I remember Rick McCosker said that to me at Newcastle Sports Ground in about my second season: 'just remember it's a game'. That's what it is. It can be all-consuming sometimes and I've even felt that in the last couple of years on the board. But you've got to remember you're talking about a game of cricket. People are supposed to be enjoying this, players are supposed to be enjoying it, fans are supposed to be enjoying it, and it's nothing more than that.

"Whether Australia wins or loses the Ashes is not going to change the world. So when I walked away from games of cricket during my slump, I'd go home to my wife and, I wouldn't laugh about it, but there was no reason why I was making low scores. My eyes were OK, my fitness was OK, my wife wasn't leaving me, my kids weren't ill, there was nothing I could put my finger on that suggests I shouldn't be making runs. Eventually, fortunately at Edgbaston I did make runs."

Of course, by 1997, the Australians were filled with memories of beating England in the previous four series, a history that imbued them with confidence. Taylor reckons that for Tim Paine's 2019 team, the challenge is not dissimilar to that of 1989, when England were not exactly flying, but Australia faced uncertainty about their own quality and a barren recent history in England, having not won a series there since 1975.

"Looking at the 1990s when we won six Ashes in a row, things changed in 1989, with us coming over, considered an ordinary side, world's worst side, and we won," Taylor said. "England had rebel tours going on and all of a sudden they were in disarray. We belted them again in Australia, came back in 1993 and belted them again here. All of a sudden we were getting bigger and bigger and England were trying to regroup.

"By the end of the 1990s they were playing better, 1997 was a closer series. But we had this belief, even with me playing badly at the start, that we were going to beat them, even 1-0 down we had this belief, and England didn't have the belief they were going to beat us. It wasn't until 2005 when Michael Vaughan's team turned it around in a big way and beat a very good Australian side. I didn't think England would beat Australia until 2009, yet they won in '05.

"England have had belief since then that at least here in this country. There's a lot of talk about the pitches and the balls, a lot of those things to me are almost red herrings. It's who's going to play the better cricket and win those big sessions. But it's changing the belief in their head as much as anything. I think they've got the talent to win this series and win it well. But they've got to believe it. They won't be thinking about 2001 and not winning here since, but they will be thinking are we good enough to beat this England team. I think they are."

Mark Taylor will be commentating on the Ashes for the Nine network