Stokes opted out of IPL to prolong England career

Captain Ben Stokes opted retired of the Indian Premier League auction successful bid to prolong his England career.

In not taking portion successful the 'mega-auction' held past weekend, the 33-year-old faces being banned from the tourney for the adjacent 2 seasons nether caller contention rules.

Speaking earlier starring England successful the archetypal Test against New Zealand successful Christchurch connected Thursday (22:00 GMT, Wednesday), Stokes told BBC Sport: "There's nary hiding down the information that I'm astatine the back-end of my career.

"It's astir looking astatine what I've got up and making the determination that is close for maine to beryllium capable to prolong my vocation arsenic agelong arsenic possible. I privation to beryllium wearing this England garment for arsenic agelong arsenic I can."

Stokes has been sold for much than £1m successful 3 IPL auctions and was named the tournament's astir invaluable subordinate for his spell with Rising Pune Supergiant successful 2017.

But his much caller vocation has been plagued by a left-knee contented and helium missed 4 England Tests aft sustaining a hamstring wounded successful August.

Stokes is owed to pb England connected the Ashes circuit of Australia adjacent winter.

The all-rounder has spoken astir his idiosyncratic conflict during England's 2-1 decision successful Pakistan past month, erstwhile helium endured a disappointing clip connected the tract aft returning from the hamstring problem. During the 2nd Test, Stokes' location was burgled with his woman Clare and 2 children astatine home.

In Christchurch, the metropolis of Stokes' birth, England statesman a three-Test bid that volition instrumentality their full fig of matches successful 2024 to 17. No England squad has ever played much successful a calendar year.

The tourists are handing a debut to 21-year-old Warwickshire left-hander Jacob Bethell, who volition bat astatine fig 3 contempt ne'er earlier batting higher than fig 4 successful first-class cricket.

New Zealand, caller from a breathtaking 3-0 bid triumph successful India, invited prolific batter Kane Williamson backmost from wounded and springiness a archetypal headdress to seamer Nathan Smith, who spent portion of past summertime with Worcestershire.

Of a green-tinged pitch, Stokes said: "If you saw that transportation successful England, you'd beryllium praying to God that you won the flip and could vessel first.

"It's astonishing successful New Zealand. You tin look astatine a wicket and it plays wholly antithetic to what it looks like. We'll person to spot however we spell tomorrow, spot what conditions we're faced with arsenic the crippled goes further, and if we request to accommodate to thing we'll effort to bash that."

New Zealand's triumph successful India means they person an extracurricular accidental of reaching the World Test Championship final, having won the inaugural contention successful 2021.

They articulation India, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka successful vying for the 2 spots available, but England beryllium sixth successful the array and are retired of contention.

"The World Test Championship is simply a spot confusing. I don't look astatine it," said Stokes.

"Over a agelong play of time, if you're playing truly bully cricket, you're getting results that you want, you'll extremity up uncovering yourself successful the last and successful the mix.

"For maine and this squad it's astir taking it crippled by game, bid by series, and if you extremity up uncovering yourself successful the presumption wherever you hap to beryllium successful the final, past it's great. I can't truly ever retrieve if I've ever fixed immoderate existent clip specifically to reasoning astir the World Test Championship."

England person not won a Test bid successful New Zealand successful 4 attempts, dating backmost to 2008. Their past lucifer successful this country, a thrilling one-run decision successful Wellington successful 2023, was lone the 4th clip immoderate squad had mislaid a Test aft enforcing the follow-on.

"It's a chill rivalry that we've got," said New Zealand skipper Tom Latham.

"We've had immoderate large battles implicit the past five, 7 years with England and that was nary antithetic a mates of seasons agone erstwhile they were retired here.

"I'm definite it volition nutrient immoderate much thrilling games and some teams are looking guardant to getting into it."