New Delhi, August 16 (HS): Legendary Australian cricketer and former captain Bob Simpson has passed away at the age of 89 on Saturday. Simpson was not only a prolific batter but also played a transformative role in the revival of Australian cricket. As the team’s first full-time coach, he was instrumental in shaping Australia into a dominant force during the 1980s and 1990s, guiding an era led by captains Allan Border and Mark Taylor.
Simpson made his Test debut in 1957 against South Africa. Over his career, he featured in 62 Tests, scoring 4869 runs at an average of 46.81, which included 10 centuries and 27 half-centuries. Initially debuting as an all-rounder, Simpson evolved into Australia’s most reliable opening batter during the 1960s. His golden year came in 1964, when he amassed 1381 runs in a calendar year—a record at the time. Among those runs was his monumental 311 against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, still remembered as one of the finest innings in Ashes history. He added two more double centuries in the following two seasons.
Beyond his batting exploits, Simpson was also a handy leg-spinner, claiming 71 wickets, with his best bowling figures coming against India in his farewell Test, where he picked up 8 wickets in the match, including his second five-wicket haul. In the slip cordon, he was regarded as supremely reliable.
After the 1968 home series against India, Simpson retired from Test cricket. But in 1977, at the age of 41, he made a remarkable comeback when several leading players defected to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. He led Australia in the home series against India and on the West Indies tour, before finally retiring from international cricket for good.
As coach, his influence proved even greater—molding a struggling Australian side into world champions and laying the foundations for the team’s future dominance.
Simpson leaves behind a legacy not just as a batsman, bowler, or captain—but as one of the master-builders of modern Australian cricket.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
