England Test captain Ben Stokes said he opted out of the recent IPL mega auction to prolong his international career, and focus on some important assignments such as the Ashes.

The newly-framed IPL rule disallow a player to enter the mini auction if he was not registered for the mega auction. A total of 52 English players went under the hammer in the auction held at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia recently.

"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," Stokes told BBC ahead of England's first Test against New Zealand, starting here from Thursday.

"There is just so much cricket. I want to be wearing this England shirt for as long as I can," he added.

In the past, Stokes has played for Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant, for whom he was the most valuable player in 2017.

Stokes was bought by the erstwhile Pune outfit for Rs 14.5 crore ahead of IPL 2027.

"It is about prioritising games and when I do play - obviously I'm in South Africa this year - so it's about looking at what I've got ahead," he said. "Looking after my body and looking after myself as much as I can is key to that," said the 32-year-old.

The Durham man will head to South Africa for a series at the end of England's trip to New Zealand before starting preparations for next year's Ashes.

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