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.