Ben Stokes: "Test cricket is absolutely my number one priority"

England allrounder Stokes has previously enjoyed bumper paydays in the IPL but will miss out on this year's mega auction, as he is committed to preparing for the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand in June

Ben Stokes has described Test cricket as "absolutely my number one priority" after deciding not to enter the 2022 Indian Premier League auction.

England allrounder Stokes has previously enjoyed bumper paydays in the IPL but will miss out this year, as he is committed to preparing for the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand in June.

Instead of battling with the best white-ball players in the world, he will instead benefit from several rounds of County Championship cricket.

^{Ben Stokes is not involved in the IPL mega auction (Steve Bell/Getty Images)}

Stokes wrote in his Daily Mirror column: "Test cricket is absolutely my number one priority, and I want to work alongside Joe Root, the best man we could have as captain, to get us there.

"It was a bitterly disappointing Ashes campaign, but we have to learn from it and begin the job of building the team back to where we want to be.

"The Test team is where it is at for me right now and I want to give as much of my time and energy to that as possible.

"I think the Test side will benefit more from me playing a number of County Championship matches this summer and getting myself as best prepared as possible for the challenges of New Zealand and South Africa."

Stokes was most recently on the books of Rajasthan Royals, but has a relatively modest tournament record in spite of his talismanic status in English cricket.

Debuting in 2017, Stokes averages only 25.56 in 42 innings, has scored two fifties, boasts a strike rate of 134.50, and has taken 28 wickets from 113.5 overs at an average of 34.79.

^{Stokes will use the time in April and May to prepare for the Test summer (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)}

Stokes now hopes England's Test side can undergo a similar rejuvenation and transformation as their white-ball teams have in recent years.

He wrote: "It will take time, of course it will. Even the white-ball team took time to get to the point where we could win a World Cup."

Stokes' England multi-format team-mates Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood will all be available in the auction, but he will not be the only notable absentee.

The all-rounder will be joined by fellow IPL regulars Sam Curran and Chris Woakes, as well as Test captain Root, who have also elected not to enter.

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