Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 16 : Former India captain Sourav Ganguly paid tribute to ex-Australia captain and coach Bob Simpson, who passed away at the age of 89 in Sydney on Saturday.
Simpson was a key figure in Australia's surge to the pinnacle of the cricketing world in the 1990s. Simpson took the full-time coaching role for the Baggy Greens when the Allan Border-led side was enduring a steep decline in fortunes. Australia was tottering in the middle of a winless run that stretched out for three years.
"RIP Bob Simpson .. our memories of 1999 World Cup and my stint with you in Lanchashire will always be in my heart and memories . A gentleman to the core," Ganguly said in a post on his official X account.
https://x.com/SGanguly99/status/1956598809816977483
The legendary cricketer played Tests for Australia from 1957 to 1978.
Under Simpson, Australia, in a bid to regenerate the nation's cricket, entrusted its faith in young blood and handed debuts to David Boon, Dean Jones, Steve Waugh, Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes and many more. During his stint with the selection panel in 1987, he played a fundamental role in identifying Australia's golden generation.
Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting were among the host of players that Simpson selected before he stepped down in 1996.
One of the biggest highlights of Simpson's coaching tenure was winning the 1987 Cricket World Cup hosted by India and Pakistan, defeating arch-rivals England in a closely-contested final by seven runs at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
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