Paul Sculthorpe has resigned as Great Britain captain and brought an end to his international career, according to the Guardian newspaper.
Sculthorpe's time as captain has been badly hit by injuries
The St Helens forward said: "I phoned [Lions coach] Tony Smith last week to tell him that I'd be finishing."
Sculthorpe was named captain after Andy Farrell moved to rugby union in 2005, but has played only 18 minutes of 10 Tests because of injuries.
"I never got a real run at it - it's been a bit of a jinx for me," he said.
He made the decision to help prolong his club career.
"It's tough because I was vice-captain to 'Faz' for so long, and you could never get him to miss a game.
"Everybody wants to captain their country and it was a big honour for me to get the job. It's just been bad luck."
Sculthorpe, who has won 26 Lions caps since making his debut in Papua New Guinea in 1996, said he made the decision before rupturing an Achilles tendon last month.