Former Australian Test captain and legendary coach Bob Simpson has died at the age of 89, Cricket Australia and local media have confirmed.

 

Simpson played 62 Test matches for Australia, scoring 4,869 runs with 10 centuries. Fans admired him in the 1960s and 70s for his aggressive batting and sharp fielding.

 

He produced one of the greatest innings in Test history when he scored 311 runs against England, a knock that cemented his place among the game’s best batsmen.

 

After retiring from international cricket, Simpson turned to coaching and reshaped Australian cricket. He took charge in the late 1980s when the team struggled for consistency. Under his strict discipline and focus on teamwork, Australia lifted the 1987 World Cup.

 

His coaching laid the foundation for Australia’s dominance in the 1990s and 2000s, when the team went on to rule world cricket.

 

Cricket Australia paid the former captain a befitting tribute, calling him not only a great batsman and captain but also an extraordinary coach who gave Australian cricket a new direction.