{"id":870087,"date":"2025-09-02T23:14:54","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T04:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/02\/he-worked-our-backsides-off-greats-pay-tribute-to-the-man-who-revived-australian-cricket\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T23:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T04:14:54","slug":"he-worked-our-backsides-off-greats-pay-tribute-to-the-man-who-revived-australian-cricket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/02\/he-worked-our-backsides-off-greats-pay-tribute-to-the-man-who-revived-australian-cricket\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He worked our backsides off\u2019: Greats pay tribute to the man who revived Australian cricket"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Australian cricket has lost a giant. Bob Simpson, former captain, opening batter and the hard-nosed coach who orchestrated the country\u2019s rise from the doldrums of the mid-1980s to the top of the world game, has died aged 89.<\/p>\n

A great player in his own right, Simpson\u2019s contribution to the game extended well beyond his near 5000 runs or the 62 Tests he played, including 39 as captain over two stints.<\/p>\n

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\"Bob<\/picture><\/div>
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Bob Simpson and Shane Warne at a training session in 1996.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fairfax<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a mark of his longevity, Simpson captained Richie Benaud in the 1960s while forging one of Australia\u2019s greatest opening partnerships with Bill Lawry, and was still involved in the 1990s when Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath ruled.<\/p>\n

He led Australia to a surprise first World Cup title in India in 1987, reclaimed the Ashes in 1989 with a team dubbed one of the worst ever, and climbed the pinnacle in 1995 by defeating the mighty West Indies in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In between, he famously returned at the age of 41 in 1977, nearly 10 years between Tests, to lead Australia after its playing stocks were decimated by Kerry Packer\u2019s World Series Cricket.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019d be very few people who could say they\u2019ve contributed more to Australian cricket than Bob Simpson,\u201d former captain Mark Taylor said.<\/p>\n

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\"Allan<\/picture><\/div>
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Allan Border and Simpson in 1992.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Craig Golding\/Fairfax Media<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simpson\u2019s legacy was set in the 1980s as Australia\u2019s first full-time coach, tasked with the unenviable job of rebuilding after the retirements of Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh, and the exodus of stars to the 1985 rebel tour of South Africa.<\/p>\n

Along with captain Allan Border, who termed the pair an \u201codd couple\u201d, Simpson helped unearth generational stars Steve and Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor, Dean Jones, David Boon and Craig McDermott.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Steve Waugh, one of the young stars whom Simpson invested so heavily in, said \u201cno one gave more to Australian cricket\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was quite simply the best cricket coach with an unparalleled knowledge of the game together with an insatiable appetite for learning and imparting his wisdom,\u201d Waugh posted to Instagram. \u201cHe made me a better player and he made Australian cricket great.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bowler of leg spin himself, Simpson played an important role in the development of a young Shane Warne.<\/p>\n

As a coach, Simpson was ahead of his time with what would now be deemed as old school methods. He was a disciplinarian who placed a premium on fitness and fielding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say we were a rabble but we could\u2019ve been doing things a bit better,\u201d Border told this masthead on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ian<\/picture><\/div>
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Ian Chappell, Bill Lawry, Bob Simpson and Richie Benaud in 1977.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>The Age<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI suppose in the wake of retirements, World Series Cricket, the aftermath of that, guys going to South Africa, it affected our national team – and you\u2019re not allowed to be a bad national cricket team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was perfect timing for me personally as the captain. I was all things to the team for a year or two \u2013 maybe not in my character to be like that. He was the sergeant major \u2013 a disciplinarian. He worked our backsides off and it paid dividends.\u201d<\/p>\n

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His former charges vividly remember the sense of dread when Simpson pointed to them and saying \u201cyou\u2019re with me\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These words would come at training, often after Simpson caught wind of a player being out too late the night before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had this simple mantra, up to midnight is your time, after midnight is cricket time,\u201d Border said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was Inspector Clouseau, the scariest three words in cricket at the time after the team meeting, Simmo would pipe up with, \u2018you\u2019re with me\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a hammering in the fielding drills because he knew you\u2019d been out. It wasn\u2019t like a strictly enforced curfew but he took it upon himself to let you know that he knew you were out later than you should have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Merv<\/picture><\/div>
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Merv Hughes was always a fan favourite, and not just with the Aussies.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Larger-than-life fast bowler Merv Hughes was a regular target. Simpson loved Hughes, Border said, as he recognised what his personality delivered to the dressing room dynamic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimmo used to hammer him – he\u2019d clown around, he loved it but he\u2019d pick Merv out,\u201d Border said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerv was Simmo\u2019s type of guy, brings something to the team more than just skills. The effect he had on the team playing the village idiot but he wasn\u2019t. The guys who play the village idiot are often the smartest guy in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hughes paid tribute to Simpson on X, describing Simpson as \u201ctruly a great coach but an even greater man\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\"Shane<\/picture><\/div>
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Shane Warne works with Bob Simpson.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Dallas Kilponen\/Fairfax Media<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Simpson was a serious man, but could leave his players in stitches. Taylor recalled an episode during the 1993 Ashes when Simpson unloaded at Warne, who had stormed into the Old Trafford dressing room angry with his dismissal. Warne threw his bat at his coffin, only for it to \u201cbounce off like an exit missile\u201d and crash into Simpson\u2019s knee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe look on Warnie\u2019s face. If he could\u2019ve crawled into a hole and covered himself forever and ever, he would have,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cSimmo went at him. The rest of us didn\u2019t say anything. At the time, he was serious but 30 seconds later we were laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson revolutionised one-day cricket. In the 1980s, the 50-over game held huge box office appeal but tactics were not sophisticated. Simpson\u2019s strategy was devised around getting to 50 through the first 15 overs without loss then accelerating to a target of about 220 – a highly competitive score during that era – and backing their skill in the field to defend.<\/p>\n

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Bob Simpson as Test captain in 1965.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fairfax<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIn those days, 220 wasn\u2019t a bad score, now you\u2019d be laughed off the paddock,\u201d Border said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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David Boon, who opened with Geoff Marsh, was integral to the game plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe thought if we scored the most ones in a 50-over game we\u2019d win it, because everything would follow,\u201d said Boon, who later became a match referee and is now a Cricket Australia director.<\/p>\n

Simpson set high standards. Boon recalls a conversation in the rooms at the WACA after making a double century.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI had my head down, I felt his presence, he was standing in front of me, he ticked me off for getting out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI thought I\u2019d just made 200, it was him challenging me to be better. Move forward when you\u2019re in that position, it was one of his challenges. We worked so hard. Without him, I don\u2019t think I could\u2019ve produced as a bat pad.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a player, Simpson was the complete package. A fine opener who averaged 47, Simpson was also exceptional slips fielder.<\/p>\n

He and Lawry were a formidable opening combination. Their record for most runs scored by an Australian opening pair stood for nearly 30 years until Taylor and Michael Slater passed them. The pair spent more time together with the pads on than off.<\/p>\n

\u201cBobby was out there on the golf course, I was looking for pigeons,\u201d Lawry said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t spend time off the field. It\u2019s a good thing. If you want to bat all day with someone, you won\u2019t want to see them at night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lived in different worlds. Once you walked to the field and Bob Simpson was involved you knew it would be good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Australia\u2019s T20 team will wear black arm bands in memory of Simpson for Saturday night\u2019s match against South Africa in Cairns.<\/p>\n

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Andrew Wu
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Australian cricket has lost a giant. Bob Simpson, former captain, opening batter and the hard-nosed coach who orchestrated the country\u2019s rise from the doldrums of the mid-1980s to the top of the world game, has died aged 89. A great player in his own right, Simpson\u2019s contribution to the game extended well beyond his near<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":870088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44010,3560],"tags":[44009,17040],"class_list":{"0":"post-870087","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-he","8":"category-worked","9":"tag-he","10":"tag-worked"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/870088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}