Bob Simpson will be remembered as one of the most influential men in Australian Test cricket history after dying age 89 on Saturday.
Simpson, nicknamed Mr Grumpy by friends and family, died in Sydney with tributes to the champion player and coach flowing in.
He is credit with saving Australia from collapse twice in his career, once as a player and once as a coach, leaving an enduring legacy.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led tributes for Simpson on Saturday.
‘Bob Simpson’s extraordinary service to Australian cricket spanned generations,’ he posted on X.
‘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. May he rest in peace.’
Bob Simpson will go down in history as one of the most influential men in the history of Australian cricket
A champion player, the stylish batsman was also a highly successful coach during his long career in the sport
Simpson was a prolific Australian batsman and occasional leg-spin bowler who debuted for Australia in 1957 and went on to play 62 Tests, scoring 4,869 runs at an average of 46.81.
He was renowned for his concentration and endurance at the crease, highlighted by his monumental 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964, which remains one of the longest innings in Test history.
As captain from 1963 to 1968, he led Australia through a rebuilding era, reclaiming the Ashes in 1964 and instilling discipline and resilience in the side.
After retiring, Simpson returned as Australia’s coach in 1986 during a turbulent period, shaping a new generation of players such as Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and David Boon.
His guidance culminated in Australia’s breakthrough 1987 World Cup win, cementing his legacy as both a great player and one of the most influential figures in Australian cricket history.
Bob Simpson was a disciplinarian who demanded total commitment from his teammates and wanted them to ‘live’ cricket as he did.
His strict approach didn’t always please the players, but it brought results and restored order to the side.
Australia’s style under Simpson was often labelled dour, with long defensive batting spells from himself and Bill Lawry used to cover the lack of a strike bowler.
Simpson emerged as Australia’s saviour in the 1980s, when he stood up as coach with the team in crisis
This approach contrasted sharply with the attacking flair of Richie Benaud’s era and contributed to falling crowd numbers.
As captain, Simpson set himself apart by fielding at first slip, where his sharp reflexes earned him 110 catches, including 30 against England.
After retiring, he returned in 1977 to steady the team during the World Series Cricket crisis and later became national coach in 1986 when Australian cricket was struggling.
His hard-nosed methods transformed a young side, leading to a World Cup win, Ashes success, and even a rare series victory over the West Indies.
In 2007, he said the key to his success was not coaching the individuality out of his players.
‘My theory is that you coach the naturalness of a player, and once you develop that you get all these lovely individual styles which are so attractive to the public and so effective,’ he said.
‘If everyone bats the same … it’s very easy to bowl to them.’
In the late 1990s, Simpson was appointed to the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) Laws sub-committee, the body responsible for preserving and updating cricket’s rulebook.
He contributed to the 2000 Code of Laws, the first full revision since 1980, which clarified long-debated areas such as handling the ball, obstructing the field, and restrictions on ball tampering, while also modernising language to reflect the changing game.
Simpson was also recognised for his services to cricket when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1978. Nearly three decades later, in 2007, his honour was elevated to Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
