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Bob Simpson, Australian Great Who Made Test Comeback At 41, Passes Away
Follow UsA member of the ICC Hall of Fame and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, Simpson was also an Officer of the Australian Order for his services to cricket
Australian cricket will be one star short from August 16 onwards as Bob Simpson, one of the greatest Test openers and captains of the Baggy Greens, passed away on Saturday.
One of the best servants of Australian cricket, Simpson not only remains the only player to have scored all of his Test centuries,10, as captain of the side. Aged 89, Simpson breathed his last in Sydney.
Having featured in 52 Tests, scoring 4131 runs at an amazing average of 48.6 with eight centuries to his name, at the age of 31, Simpson retired from Test cricket. However, he was called back in times of crisis at the age of 41 in 1977 and was asked to lead the country in a five-match home series against India.
It was during the World Series crisis that plagued Australian cricket when Simpson not only returned to lead, but did so, for example, accumulating 539 runs at an average of 53 and becoming the leading run-scorer of the series. He also picked up four wickets with his leg spin and won a thrilling Test series 3-2.
However, the following away series against West Indies was Simpson’s last as he could only muster 199 runs in nine innings at a lowly average of 22 and with only one fifty to his name.
"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," Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo in a statement.
"Bob's decision to come out of retirement to successfully lead the Australian 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 era for Australian cricket,” he added.
Not only Australia, Simpson had great coaching stints with many teams, including the Netherlands too, famously guiding them to the 2007 World Cup qualification.
A member of the ICC Hall of Fame and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, Simpson was also an Officer of the Australian Order for his services to cricket.