Langer turns down Derbyshire

Justin Langer won't have to worry about turning around Derbyshire's fortunes © Getty Images

Australian opener Justin Langer has turned down the offer of becoming Derbyshire's captain next season in order to prolong his Test career.

Derbyshire are looking for a new captain after Luke Sutton recently left to join Lancashire, but Langer, 34, does not want to play a full domestic season in England. "Throughout our negotiations Justin has been very honest and obviously found this a very difficult decision to make," Derbyshire's chief executive Tom Sears told BBC Sport. "We'll keep in touch and there is every possibility we may talk again about him coming to Derbyshire in the future.

"I can fully understand his position and the reasons why he declined our offer at this stage. Every player wants to play at the highest level possible and you have to admire Justin's ambition and drive, exactly the qualities we wanted him to bring to our club."

Sears says Derbyshire, who have finished in the bottom two of the County Championship for the past three seasons, are keen to bring in a world-class player: "We have the finance in place but we will not be rushed into any decisions and we will make sure we get the right player and the right person who is going to be worth the investment."