A late bloomer in international cricket, Simpson ruled Australian cricket for four decades (1960-2000) as a player, captain, coach and commentator.
Born on this day 79 years ago, Simpson started off as a leg-spinner and excellent slip catcher, taking 29 Tests to make an impact. In his 30th against England in 1964, he raked up 311 as an opener, which was also his maiden Test ton.
He retired in 1968, but was recalled to captain Australia reeling under the impact of the Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. The 41-year-old led Australia to a memorable 3-2 series win against India by topping the run charts scoring 539 runs.
He eventually called it quits in 1978, scoring 4869 runs (average 46.81) and claiming 71 wickets. His coaching stint between 1986 and 1996 was equally rich as Australia won the 1987 World Cup and regained the Ashes in 1989.
1966: Danny Morrison, former New Zealand fast bowler who earned 48 Test and 96 ODIs caps (50).
1969: Retief Goosen, South African golfer with two U.S. Open wins in 2001 and 2004 under his belt (47).
1970: Oscar Cordoba, retired Colombian keeper and only man with a perfect clean sheet in Copa America (46).
1988: Gregory van der Wiel, defender for PSG with three Ligue 1 titles and a World Cup runner up (28).
