Stokes opted out of IPL to prolong England career

Ben Stokes and the England team took part in a mihi whakatau, a welcome, in Christchurch on Tuesday

Captain Ben Stokes opted out of the Indian Premier League auction in order to prolong his England career.

In not taking part in the 'mega-auction' held last weekend, the 33-year-old faces being banned from the tournament for the next two seasons under new competition rules.

Speaking before leading England in the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday (22:00 GMT, Wednesday), Stokes told BBC Sport: "There's no hiding behind the fact that I'm at the back-end of my career.

"It's about looking at what I've got ahead and making the decision that is right for me to be able to prolong my career as long as possible. I want to be wearing this England shirt for as long as I can."

Stokes has been sold for more than £1m in three IPL auctions and was named the tournament's most valuable player for his spell with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.

But his more recent career has been plagued by a left-knee issue and he missed four England Tests after sustaining a hamstring injury in August.

Stokes is due to lead England on the Ashes tour of Australia next winter.

The all-rounder has spoken about his personal struggle during England's 2-1 defeat in Pakistan last month, when he endured a disappointing time on the field after returning from the hamstring problem. During the second Test, Stokes' house was burgled with his wife Clare and two children at home.

In Christchurch, the city of Stokes' birth, England begin a three-Test series that will take their total number of matches in 2024 to 17. No England team has ever played more in a calendar year.

The tourists are handing a debut to 21-year-old Warwickshire left-hander Jacob Bethell, who will bat at number three despite never before batting higher than number four in first-class cricket.

New Zealand, fresh from a breathtaking 3-0 series win in India, welcome prolific batter Kane Williamson back from injury and give a first cap to seamer Nathan Smith, who spent part of last summer with Worcestershire.

Of a green-tinged pitch, Stokes said: "If you saw that pitch in England, you'd be praying to God that you won the toss and could bowl first.

"It's amazing in New Zealand. You can look at a wicket and it plays completely different to what it looks like. We'll have to see how we go tomorrow, see what conditions we're faced with as the game goes further, and if we need to adapt to anything we'll try to do that."

New Zealand's win in India means they have an outside chance of reaching the World Test Championship final, having won the inaugural competition in 2021.

They join India, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka in vying for the two spots available, but England sit sixth in the table and are out of contention.

"The World Test Championship is a bit confusing. I don't look at it," said Stokes.

"Over a long period of time, if you're playing really good cricket, you're getting results that you want, you'll end up finding yourself in the final and in the mix.

"For me and this team it's about taking it game by game, series by series, and if you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in the final, then it's great. I can't really ever remember if I've ever given any real time specifically to thinking about the World Test Championship."

England have not won a Test series in New Zealand in four attempts, dating back to 2008. Their last match in this country, a thrilling one-run defeat in Wellington in 2023, was only the fourth time any team had lost a Test after enforcing the follow-on.

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

"We've had some great battles over the last five, seven years with England and that was no different a couple of seasons ago when they were out here.

"I'm sure it will produce some more thrilling games and both teams are looking forward to getting into it."