Former Test star Justin Langer will play his final first-class match in Australia next week.
Veteran winding down after outstanding career
Former Test star Justin Langer will play his final first-class match in Australia next week.
The 37-year-old Somerset captain will play his final four-day match for Western Australia against Tasmania in the Pura Cup at the WACA, starting on Friday.
He will then head to England for a final summer in the County Championship with Somerset, before playing for two seasons in the Indian Premier League.
"The fire's gone out, there's no doubt about that," said Langer, who retired from Test cricket after last year's Ashes series having earned 105 caps.
"Physically and technically, I can probably play for another couple of years, but I just know the fire's gone out, so that's why it's been a tough year.
"Even scoring 100 used to mean everything, it used to mean I was happy for a few weeks.
Walk away
"But now, scoring 100 - it's nice, it's nice reward for the hard work, but it doesn't mean everything to me, and because it doesn't mean everything to me anymore, it's time to walk away."
Fellow Western Australian Dennis Lillee said: "Justin has been an amazing player for Western Australia and he'll go down as one of the best batsmen ever produced in this state.
"His dedication and application was second to none and I have nothing but admiration for the way he played the game of cricket.
"Because of those outstanding attributes, I sincerely hope that he has a role to play in Western Australian cricket's future."
Tom Moody, a former Australia team-mate and Langer's coach at Western Australia, also paid tribute to the left-hander.
"He has produced phenomenal feats on the field over 17 years at first-class level and has been the ultimate professional and role model to aspiring cricketers," Moody said.
