Simpson made his debut for Australia in 1957, and would first call his retirement in 1968. However, he would make headlines nearly a decade later, when as a 41-year-old he made his return to the international team to lead it to some form of stability while World Series of Cricket took away some of the sport’s biggest names.

He played 62 Tests for Australia in all, averaging 46.81 with bat and scoring ten centuries, while also picking up 71 wickets with the ball in hand.

Simpson is known for being one of the few Test players to register a triple century as his first ever ton in Test cricket. This came in 1964, when as captain he played a remarkable marathon knock at the Oval to score 311 runs across 743 deliveries. It was an innings which lasted 762 minutes, or 12 hours and 42 minutes.

Not just a player, but also a legendary coach

Simpson would continue his legacy within Australian cricket not just as a player but as a leader when he returned to coach the men’s team for a decade in 1986. He helped Australia find an immediate taste of success, lifting the World Cup in India in 1987, as well as historic away tour victories in the Ashes against England in 1989 and the dominant West Indies in 1995.

Simpson was the head coach when legendary Australian captains Allan Border and Steve Waugh had the reins, and it isn’t difficult to see how the man influenced multiple generations of incredible Australian leaders.

Ricky Ponting also made his debut under the tutelage of Bob Simpson, while Steve Waugh took over captaincy soon after he stepped down from his role in 1996, meaning the legendary Aussie has his fingerprint on over half a century of Australian cricket dominance.

Simpson’s memory will be remembered ahead of Australia’s next one-day international match against South Africa in the ongoing series, with Cricket Australia already announcing the players will wear black armbands.

One of the great men in the second half of the 20th century in Australia, a nation will mourn and celebrate the player who was the earlier herald of their modern success.