England fast bowler James Anderson has confirmed his desire to focus on Test cricket and won’t enter into the IPL auction.

While players find it difficult to resist the temptations of the IPL riches, Anderson says wants to preserve himself by making Test cricket his top priority.

‘My heart is with playing Test cricket for England,’ Anderson said. ‘So that is what I’ll concentrate on doing for the foreseeable future.

‘At the moment, where I am at this stage of my career, I want to make sure I’m in good nick to play Test match cricket for England. A couple of months off won’t be a bad thing. I’ll make sure I come back for Lancashire at the start of the season and get ready for the Test matches at the start of the summer. That’s where my head is at.’

The series between South African and England was billed as a scintillating duel between Anderson (33) and Dale Steyn (32), widely regarded as the two best bowlers in the world, but both have suffered injuries of late.

Steyn has had a nightmare run of late. He only played one of four Tests in India and picked up a shoulder injury in the first Test in Durban, which ruled him out of the second and third Test. He has suffered nine injuries since 2013 which had led to talks about his future and longevity in the game.

Anderson missed the first Test due to a calf injury, but has recovered and after an ineffective outing at Newlands will hope to play a big role at the Wanderers as England aim to clinch the series by going 2-0 up.

‘There will be more swing here because of the conditions,’ Anderson said. ‘And hopefully there’ll be a bit more in the pitch as well.

‘The important thing is to think about the swing and the lengths we’re going to bowl. We know we might get a bit more carry and bounce, so we need to bowl a fuller length even with that bounce.’