Former Australia skipper Bob Simpson passed away on Saturday, at the age of 89.
An influential figure in Australian cricket, Simpson featured in 62 Tests between 1957 and 1978, and later transitioned into coaching, becoming the first full-time coach of the team, helping in the re-emergence of the side in the late 1980s and 1990s, during the captaincy tenures of Allan Border and Mark Taylor.
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Simpson, who made his Test debut in 1957 against South Africa, scored 4869 runs at an average of 46.81, which included 10 centuries and 27 half-centuries. Simpson was also a handy leg-spinner, who scalped 71 wickets, apart from being an extremely reliable slip fielder.
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Along with Bill Lawry, Simpson forged one of the strongest opening partnerships in Test cricket, scoring 3596 runs in 62 innings as openers — the most by an opening pair at that point. Since then, only six other opening pairs have outscored them.
He had initially retired from the game in 1968 after an 11-year career as one of Australia’s finest openers, having played 50 Tests and captained in 29 of them. Nine years later, he returned to lead the side at the age of 41, when several players had left to play in the World Series Cricket. He led in the home series against India and the tour to the West Indies before stepping away from the game again.
In 1986, Simpson was recalled by the then Australian Cricket Broad (now Cricket Australia) to work with the Test side that failed to win a series for over two years. He worked closely with then skipper Allan Border and instilled a culture of discipline and hard work into a younger group of players, including David Boon, Dean Jones, Steve Waugh, Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes.
A year later, Simpson was added to the selection panel that was chaired by Laurie Sawle, and went on to coach a side full of Australia’s future generation superstars like Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting, until 1996 when he eventually stood down.
Under him, Australia went on to win the 1987 World Cup and regained the Ashes in 1989, which they would hold until 2005.
Simpson’s India connection
Besides Australian cricket, Simpson was also involved in brief overseas mentorship stints, including as a consultant with the Indian team in the late 1990’s. Simpson also worked as a coaching advisor for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy besides coaching Leicestershire and Lancashire for short periods in English county cricket.
A member of the ICC’s Hall of Fame, Simpson coached into his 70s, including with Netherlands through a successful qualification campaign to reach the 2007 World Cup.
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