German Masters: Nick Faldo has criticised Bernhard Langer's indecision over the Ryder Cup captaincy - and ruled himself out of being a last-minute substitute skipper.

Langer revealed last month he had not given up hope of qualifying to play on the European team which will defend the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills next September, and would give up the captaincy if he looked like doing so.

The veteran German insists that decision would be made early enough not to leave the European team in the lurch, but Faldo was surprised such a possibility was seemingly not discussed before Langer was offered the role.

"When does he change his mind, after the shirts have been selected or before?" said Faldo, who is trying to qualify for a 12th Ryder Cup appearance himself.

"I'm surprised they didn't ascertain that fact beforehand. I thought we had an interviewing process or some sort of system, you thought that would have been one of the questions you would have asked or for the committee to decide on. I thought that was the purpose of it.

"I am still unclear as to what the exact procedure is, to be honest, although I would like to know when I pursue that in a year's time or so."

That is a reference to Faldo's desire to captain the team in Ireland in 2006, but he would not be willing to step into the breach for 2004 if Langer did wish to hand over the captaincy.

"If you are the captain you want to put an awful lot of your personal touches to it in everything, from the clothes, go to the golf course, how you want everything set up and stuff - and then to suddenly hand it over to someone else with, whatever, two months or something to fill in, it is not very nice," added the six-time major winner.

"He needs to make a decision a lot earlier. I would have thought it would be a tough thing mentally to have two decisions going on in your mind. Thinking which one am I committing to.

"Bernhard is the captain, but if he stood down no way would I step in. I'm trying to play, it is as simple as that, that is my goal.

"I am going to give it one really big blast at playing and then I will go for 2006."

Competition for the €500,000 first prize will be intense, however, with a top-class field assembled at one of the richest events on the calendar.

Darren Clarke makes his first appearance since winning the NEC Invitational in America and claiming a Challenge Tour title back home in Northern Ireland last week, while last week's winner Retief Goosen, in-form Kiwi Michael Campbell, Australian Adam Scott, Ian Poulter and Padraig Harrington are all in Cologne.

Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell make up the rest of the Irish contingent.

Tournament promoter Langer will also be a strong contender for yet another victory on home soil, if the 46-year-old is not affected by the late finish to the John Deere Classic in America on Monday which meant he was late arriving for his own event.