Former Australia Test captain and coach Bob Simpson has died aged 89.
Simpson played 62 Tests for Australia between 1957 and 1978, scoring 4,869 runs – including 10 centuries – at an average of 46.81.
He also took 71 wickets with his leg spin and was renowned as one of the best slip fielders in the game.
After initially retiring from playing in 1968, Simpson made an extraordinary comeback as Test captain in 1978 at the age of 41, after several Australian players joined the breakaway World Series Cricket competition.
“Bob Simpson was one of the greats of Australian cricket, and this is a sad day for anyone fortunate to have watched him play or who benefited from his wisdom,” said Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird.
“As a brilliant opening batter, incredible slip fielder and handy spin bowler, Bob was a mainstay of a very strong Australian team in the 1960s, and he became a leader across the game as Australian and New South Wales captain and as a coach.
“Bob’s decision to come out of retirement to successfully lead the Australian team during the advent of World Series Cricket in 1977 was a wonderful service to the game, and his coaching set the foundation for a golden generation of Australian cricket.”
When Simpson took over as Australia coach in 1986, the side had not won a Test series for three years, but he oversaw a dramatic revival that saw them become one of the best teams of all time.
A new-look team captained by Allan Border and featuring the likes of Steve Waugh and David Boon won the 1987 World Cup and secured Test series victories over England and West Indies.
In the early 1990s, Simpson oversaw the introduction of players such as Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting – setting the platform for an era of Australian dominance.
After stepping down in 1996, he had short spells coaching Leicestershire, Lancashire and the Netherlands, as well as a consultancy role with India.
“Bob Simpson’s extraordinary service to Australian cricket spanned generations,” Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese wrote on social media.
“As a player, captain and then era-defining coach, he set the highest of standards for himself and the champions he led. He will be long remembered by the game he loved.”
