From triple centurion to master coach: Bob Simpson’s enduring legacy

By Harsh Thakor*

Former Australia cricket captain and coach Bob Simpson has died in Sydney aged 89. He leaves behind an indelible legacy, having shaped Australian cricket for more than four decades as a player, captain and coach. Beyond the field, he also served the game as a law-maker, referee and commentator, carving a permanent niche among the all-time greats of Australian cricket.

Born in Sydney’s Marrickville on 3 February 1936, Simpson was introduced to cricket early, playing his first Sheffield Shield game for New South Wales at just 16. He made his international debut against New Zealand in 1956 and soon established himself as a formidable all-rounder before becoming one of Australia’s most reliable opening batters.

Tributes poured in following his passing. Former Australia captain Steve Waugh wrote: “No one gave more to Australian cricket than Bob Simpson – coach, player, commentator, writer, selector, mentor and journalist. He was quite simply the best cricket coach, with an unparalleled knowledge of the game together with an insatiable appetite for learning and imparting his wisdom. He made me a better player and he made Australian cricket great.” Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird said: “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. As a brilliant opening batter, incredible slip fielder and handy spin bowler, he was a mainstay of a very strong Australian team in the 1960s. His decision to come out of retirement to successfully lead the 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.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also led tributes to the cricketing legend.

Simpson’s playing career was marked by remarkable achievements. He became only the second Australian after Don Bradman to score a Test triple century, making 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964 in what was his maiden Test century and one of the epic innings in cricket history. Renowned as a peerless slips fielder, he claimed a record 110 catches in 62 Tests between 1957 and 1978. His batting was defined by resilience and mastery across conditions—seaming English pitches, turning subcontinental tracks, and the bouncy surfaces of the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia. He eventually scored 10 Test centuries, all as captain, accumulating 4,869 runs at an average of 46.81, and also claimed 71 wickets with his leg-spin. His formidable opening partnership with Bill Lawry in the 1960s remains one of Australia’s most successful, highlighted by their record 382-run stand against West Indies in 1965, which still stands as Australia’s highest first-wicket partnership.

Although he first retired in 1968, Simpson made a stunning comeback in 1978 at the age of 41, captaining Australia during the crisis caused by World Series Cricket. His batting heroics, including scores of 89 in Brisbane, 176 at Perth and twin centuries in Adelaide, played a pivotal role in Australia’s 3–2 series victory against India. Critics often noted his slow starts, but his technical precision against spin and ability to anchor innings laid the foundation for many famous wins.

Simpson’s second innings with Australian cricket—as coach—was even more transformative. Appointed in 1986, when the national team had not won a Test series in three years, he imposed strict discipline, prioritising fitness and fielding, and moulded a young team into world beaters. He mentored future greats like Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting, laying the foundation for Australia’s dominance in the 1990s and 2000s. Under his stewardship, Australia won the 1987 World Cup, regained the Ashes in 1989, and recorded a historic series win in the West Indies in 1995—the first by any overseas team since 1973—which secured Australia’s status as the unofficial world champions of Test cricket. His tenure was remembered for his ability to instil self-belief and mould individual talents into a cohesive, resilient unit.

After stepping down as national coach in 1996, Simpson had coaching stints with Leicestershire, Lancashire and the Netherlands, and also served in a consultancy role with India. Cricket historians have long acknowledged his place among the game’s greats: Geoff Armstrong ranked him 73rd in his list of the 100 greatest cricketers, while the late John Woodcock placed him 80th.

Bob Simpson’s contribution to cricket spanned generations—first as a technically astute batsman and safe slip fielder, then as a leader who guided Australian cricket through turbulent times, and finally as a coach who forged one of the most dominant teams in the sport’s history. His name will forever be etched in the annals of the game.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

From protest to proof: Why civil society must rethink environmental resistance

By Shankar Sharma* As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

Kolkata event marks 100 years since first Communist conference in India

By Harsh Thakor* A public assembly was held in Kolkata on December 24, 2025, to mark the centenary of the First Communist Conference in India , originally convened in Kanpur from December 26 to 28, 1925. The programme was organised by CPI (ML) New Democracy at Subodh Mallik Square on Lenin Sarani. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people attended the assembly.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Transgender Bill testimony of Govt of India's ‘contempt’ for marginalized community

Counterview Desk India’s civil society network, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)* has said that the controversial transgender Bill, passed in the Rajya Sabha on November 26, which happened to be the 70th anniversary of the Indian Constitution, is a reflection on the way the Government of India looks at the marginalized community with utter contempt.

Search This Blog