Former Australia Captain Simpson Dies Aged 89

Former Australia Test skipper and coach Bob Simpson has died aged 89.

Simpson played 62 Tests for Australia betwixt 1957 and 1978, scoring 4,869 runs - including 10 hundreds of years - astatine an mean of 46.81.

He besides took 71 wickets pinch his limb rotation and was renowned arsenic 1 of nan champion gaffe fielders successful nan game.

After initially retiring from playing successful 1968, Simpson made an bonzer comeback arsenic Test skipper successful 1978 astatine nan property of 41, aft respective Australian players joined nan breakaway World Series Cricket competition.

"Bob Simpson was 1 of nan greats of Australian cricket, and this is simply a sad time for anyone fortunate to person watched him play aliases who benefited from his wisdom," said Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird.

"As a superb opening batter, unthinkable gaffe fielder and useful rotation bowler, Bob was a champion of a very beardown Australian squad successful nan 1960s, and he became a leader crossed nan crippled arsenic Australian and New South Wales skipper and arsenic a coach.

"Bob's determination to travel retired of status to successfully lead nan Australian squad during nan advent of World Series Cricket successful 1977 was a awesome work to nan game, and his coaching group nan instauration for a aureate procreation of Australian cricket."

When Simpson took complete arsenic Australia coach successful 1986, nan broadside had not won a Test bid for 3 years, but he oversaw a melodramatic revival that saw them go 1 of nan champion teams of each time.

A new-look squad captained by Allan Border and featuring nan likes of Steve Waugh and David Boon won nan 1987 World Cup and secured Test bid victories complete England and nan West Indies.

In nan early 1990s, Simpson oversaw nan preamble of players specified arsenic Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting - mounting nan level for an era of Australian dominance.

After stepping down successful 1996, he had short spells coaching Leicestershire, Lancashire and nan Netherlands, arsenic good arsenic a consultancy domiciled pinch India.

"Bob Simpson's bonzer work to Australian cricket spanned generations," Australia's premier curate Anthony Albanese wrote connected societal media.

"As a player, skipper and past era-defining coach, he group nan highest of standards for himself and nan champions he led. He will beryllium agelong remembered by nan crippled he loved."