Rory Dollard

Ravi Bopara, the England all-rounder, has explained his decision to spurn a big pay day in the Indian Premier League, insisting that a successful international future means more to him than short-term financial gain.

Bopara rejected a six-figure sum to link up with an unnamed IPL franchise for the final four weeks of the event in a bid to re-establish his England credentials.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a blistering start to the season, clubbing 341 runs in three LV County Championship innings for Essex, as well as topping the county's bowling averages with six wickets at less than 18 each.

An impressive 66 against the touring New Zealand side also stands him in good stead and he has decided against joining Hampshire skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas, currently the only England-qualified player involved in the lucrative Twenty20 competition, on the sub-continent.

Instead, Bopara has set his sights on achieving a childhood ambition of becoming a top international cricketer - and believes that home soil is the best place to do. "When figures like these are put in front of you it is tempting, but my goal is to play regularly for England, so I am confident that if I continue to score runs and take wickets for Essex, then I will hopefully play for England this summer and for many years to come," he said. "My first priority is with England. As a kid my ambition was to have a successful international career. All my cricketing idols have had successful international careers and I want to emulate them. My decision was made with England in mind.

"I'm currently playing well and with a Test series coming up, against New Zealand if there was an injury to our batting line-up, I'd like to think I would be next in line.

"It's nice to be wanted, but at the I have other responsibilities - to score enough runs to get into the England team."

There have been worries that the lure of big-money deals would lead to players choosing the IPL over either England or their county, but Bopara's stand will be welcomed by the ECB.