Ben Stokes explains IPL decision and drops England future hint ahead of New Zealand Test

England skipper Ben Stokes decided not to connection his services arsenic portion of the Indian Premier League super-auction this week, opting to prioritise his planetary vocation instead

Ben Stokes admits helium is approaching the location consecutive successful “the backmost extremity of my career” aft opting to skip a mega-payday successful the Indian Premier League.

The England captain sat retired the lucrative Twenty20 tourney earlier this twelvemonth to negociate his workload pursuing a long-running conflict with a genu injury. And though helium was expected to beryllium disposable for prosecute astatine the super-auction successful Saudi Arabia this week, Stokes was a astonishment omission from the bidding arsenic England team-mates Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Jofra Archer were each snapped up successful £1million-plus deals.

But his lack from the richest contention successful the world was a motion that Stokes is prioritising planetary cricket aft helium signed a two-year England declaration successful October.

With a increasing past of wear-and-tear injuries taking their toll - helium missed the archetypal Test successful Pakistan past period aft tearing a hamstring during The Hundred successful August - helium is channelling his vigor towards adjacent winter’s Ashes successful Australia.

Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special connected the eve of England’s archetypal Test against New Zealand successful Christchurch, helium admitted: “There’s nary hiding down the information that I’m astatine the backmost extremity of my career. I evidently privation to play arsenic agelong arsenic I perchance can.

“Looking aft my assemblage and looking aft myself arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin is cardinal to that – prioritising games and erstwhile I bash play. I privation to beryllium wearing this England garment for arsenic agelong arsenic I can.”

At 33, and winning his 108th Test headdress successful the metropolis wherever helium was born, Stokes and manager Brendon McCullum’s Bazball ethos is present entering its defining phase. But their blueprint to instrumentality connected the Black Caps, who completed a stunning 3-0 whitewash of India connected the subcontinent earlier this month, suffered a grievous setback erstwhile uncapped wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, 24, was ruled retired of the bid with a breached thumb.

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Stokes said: “It’s a horrible happening to spell done an wounded and peculiarly erstwhile you’re connected the verge of making your Test debut, You tin enactment an limb circular him, cheque successful connected however he’s going, but there’s not excessively overmuch you tin truly accidental due to the fact that it is perfectly gutting for the lad and a existent shame.”

As for Stokes’ career, the Durham all-rounder hinted past period that helium could marque yet different instrumentality to playing one-day internationals successful 2025. Following his occurrence with the Test team, McCullum has been appointed arsenic England's caller white-ball coach.

Stokes retired from ODIs successful the summertime of 2022 to absorption connected captaining the Test broadside but made a short-lived comeback during England's disastrous World Cup defence successful India past year. Asked during the circuit of Pakistan astir the anticipation of teaming up with McCullum erstwhile again, Stokes cryptically replied: "Wait until February."