England captain Ben Stokes admits he is dealing with “the end of my career” after choosing to skip the Indian Premier League and prioritize his time in international cricket.
Stokes missed the lucrative T20 tournament earlier this year in a bid to ease his workload following long-standing knee problems, but was expected to put his name in the hat for the 2025 edition, with major offers offered during the recent “mega”. auctions” in Saudi Arabia.
Instead, he was a notable absentee as the franchises spent big money elsewhere – including big salaries for fellow Englishmen Jos Butter, Jofra Archer and Phil Salt, all of whom attracted contracts in excess of £1 million sterling.
Stokes’ last contract with Chennai Super Kings valued him at £1.6 million a year, but at 33 and with a long history of wear and tear on his body, the all-rounder insists he is focused on giving his all to England after signing a contract. two-year central contract in October.
Speaking in Christchurch on the eve of the final Test series of the year against New Zealand, he explained his decision to withdraw from bidding for the sport’s most demanding domestic competition.
“There is so much cricket. “There’s no reason to hide behind the fact that I’m at the end of my career,” he told the BBC’s Test Match Special.
“I obviously want to play as long as possible. Taking care of my body and myself as much as possible is key to this – prioritizing games and when I play. Obviously I’m in South Africa this year (with MI Cape Town in the SA20) so it’s about looking at what I have in front of me and making the decision that I think is right for me to be able to extend my career as as long as possible.
“I want to wear this England jersey for as long as possible.”
In the immediate term, that means facing the Black Caps who stunned India by blanking them on home soil only a few weeks ago.
New Zealand came away with a 3-0 victory on their triumphant visit, handing India the first home defeat since Alastair Cook’s England 12 years ago and a first clean sweep in a series of three or more matches.
Stokes knows how difficult it is to turn India around on home turf, having overseen a 4-1 series defeat earlier this year, and knows he must try to bring the Kiwis back down to earth when the first test will take place. underway at 10 p.m. GMT Wednesday.
“We don’t need any more motivation than leaving our country to represent our country, but I think you have to appreciate what New Zealand has been able to do in India,” he said.
“Even though we face them, I think we have to put our hands up and give New Zealand a lot of credit for their trip to India. I think it’s huge for world cricket.
“India has been such a force at home. Many teams around the world have been there and wished they could do the same thing, but it’s much easier said than done. It was a huge thing for cricket in general, that a touring team was able to win in India like that. I don’t remember a time when a team was able to do that.
England will make their Test debut of the year at Hagley Oval, with Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell entering the XI in an unexpectedly elevated position at number three.
Asking Bethell to play a role he has never attempted before in first-class cricket was not part of the original plan, coming only after wicketkeeper Jordan Cox broke a thumb in the nets during of a week’s warm-up in Queenstown.
Stokes, who has had his share of injuries over the years, sympathized with the 24-year-old.
“It’s a horrible thing to suffer an injury and especially when you’re about to make your Test debut,” he said.
“But as gutted as I am, as gutted as the rest of the team, you understand that Jordan is even more gutted. You put an arm around him, check to see how he’s doing, but you can’t really say much because it’s absolutely demoralizing for the boy and a real shame.