Former Australian cricket captain and coach Bob Simpson dies aged 89

Former Australian men's Test cricket captain Bob Simpson has died aged 89.

The cricketer, who was born in Sydney in 1936, played 62 Tests for Australia, scoring 4,689 runs — with 10 centuries and 27 50s — and taking 71 wickets.

He made his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957, and his first century came in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1964 — Simpson went on to score 311.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the first to pay tribute to Simpson.

Simpson is one of only seven Australians to make a triple-century.

He was also one of the greatest slip-fielders the game has seen, taking 110 catches.

Simpson averaged nearly a catch per innings, the greatest average of a non-wicketkeeper in Test history.

He captained Australia in 39 Tests in three stints between 1963 and 1978.

After nearly a decade away from Test cricket, he was called out of retirement at the age of 41 after the arrival of World Series Cricket in 1977.

He played a home series against India, and a tour against the West Indies in the Caribbean.

Bob Simpson (left) played in numerous Ashes tours for Australia, later captaining and coaching the touring side. (Getty Images: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive)

He went on to coach the national team for more than a decade — under his mentorship, Australia rebounded to win the 1986 Cricket World Cup, several Ashes series, including the regaining of the urn in England in 1989, and winning the Frank Worrell Trophy for the first time in 1995, beating the West Indies in the Caribbean.

After stepping down from the role in 1996, Simpson was a consultant to the Indian national team in the late 90s, and coached the Netherlands national team for a period.

He received numerous honours, including his induction into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame in 1985, to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2006, and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2013.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1978, and an Officer of the order in 2007.

Click here to read article