Bob Simpson (cricketer)

Bob Simpson
Simpson in 1957
Personal information
Full name
Robert Baddeley Simpson
Born (1936-02-03) 3 February 1936 (age 88)
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia
NicknameSimmo
Height179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm leg spin
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 209)23 December 1957 v South Africa
Last Test3 May 1978 v West Indies
ODI debut (cap 44)22 February 1978 v West Indies
Last ODI12 April 1978 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1952/53–1955/56New South Wales
1956/57–1960/61Western Australia
1961/62–1977/78New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 62 2 257 6
Runs scored 4,869 36 21,029 165
Batting average 46.81 18.00 56.22 33.00
100s/50s 10/27 0/0 60/100 0/0
Top score 311 23 359 37
Balls bowled 6,881 102 27,998 166
Wickets 71 2 349 4
Bowling average 42.26 47.50 38.07 33.50
5 wickets in innings 2 0 6 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 5/57 2/30 5/33 2/30
Catches/stumpings 110/– 4/– 383/– 6/–
Medal record
Men's Cricket
Representing  Australia as Coach
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner 1987 India and Pakistan
Source: CricketArchive, 14 April 2008

Robert Baddeley Simpson AO (born 3 February 1936) is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963/64 until 1967/68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team. He is also known as Bobby or Simmo.

Simpson played as a right-handed batsman and semi-regular leg spin bowler. After ten years in retirement, he returned to the spotlight at age 41 to captain Australia during the era of World Series Cricket.

In 1986 he was appointed coach of the Australian team, a position he held until being replaced by Geoff Marsh in July 1996. Under Simpson's tutelage, the team went from a struggling team, losing a succession of Test series, to the strongest team in world cricket. Some of the team's greatest achievements in his time as coach were winning the 1987 World Cup, regaining The Ashes in England in 1989, and overcoming the previously dominant West Indies on their home grounds in 1995. He also coached county cricket in England, with Leicestershire and Lancashire.