Langley made his first-class cricket debut as a specialist batsman for South Australia on 14 December 1945 against New South Wales and first kept wicket in first class cricket in December 1947. He immediately made an impression for his tidy work behind the stumps and he was chosen for Australia's 1949–50 tour to South Africa, although he did not play a Test. Langley eventually made his Test debut at the Gabba during the 1951/52 series against the West Indies in place of the injured Don Tallon. He took three catches and four stumpings and, following Tallon's retirement in 1953, became the first choice wicket keeper for Australia until his retirement in 1956. Langley's skills behind the wicket were recognised by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, who proclaimed him "the safest wicketkeeper in the game" and named him one of its five cricketers of the year in 1957. He had toured England in 1956 and was one of the few highlights in an outclassed Australian side. In the Lord's Test he completed nine dismissals in Australia's only win of the series. This would stand as the Test record for dismissals by a wicket keeper in a match until it was broken by Bob Taylor in 1980 and stood as an Australian record until 2000. He also made headlines in England when he split his trousers while meeting with the Queen, forcing his teammates Keith Miller and Ian Johnson to hurriedly repair his trousers with safety pins. Langley played his last Test match against India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in November 1956 and retired from first class cricket a month later after scoring a century for South Australia against New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval. Following his retirement from cricket, Langley worked as a sports journalist.
Rare double
Langley achieved a rare double, equalled only by Victor Richardson, of captaining Sturt in both cricket and football.
Politician
Langley entered the South Australian House of Assembly as a Labor Party representative for the Electoral district of Unley at the 1962 South Australian election. He increased his popularity during constituent visits by performing electrical related tasks like fixing toasters. Following the 1965 election, Langley became part of the first Labor government in South Australia for 32 years and would later serve as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1977 to 1979 before his retirement from politics in 1982. Considered "one of the great and delightful eccentrics" of the South Australian parliament, Langley was an old style Labor politician who had become disillusioned with the direction his party had taken under Don Dunstan on social issues like liberalising homosexuality laws. He was succeeded by Labor's Kym Mayes at the 1982 election.
Later life
In the Australia Day Honours of 1984, Langley was made a member in the general division of the Order of Australia, in 2001 he was named an Inaugural Sturt Football ClubHall of Fame inductee and in recognition of his services to cricket, the Gil Langley Function Room at Adelaide Oval was named in his honour. He spent much of his retirement playing lawn bowls and died after a long fight with Alzheimer's disease, survived by two sons, two daughters and nine grandchildren. Langley's nephew, Jeff Langley, played cricket for South Australia and Queensland between 1969–70 and 1979–80.
