Bob Simpson: The Reluctant Giant of Australian Cricket
Early Promise and Rise Robert Baddeley Simpson was born in Marrickville, Sydney, on February 3, 1936. Cricket came naturally to him; by the age of 12 he was representing New South Wales in school competitions, and at 16 years and 354 days, he debuted in first-class cricket — the second-youngest to do so for the state. His precocity was matched with a sharp wit from senior teammates; Arthur Morris famously quipped, asking him where he had left his nappies. Simpson’s formative years in New South Wales set the tone for his future greatness. Keith Miller, seeing something different in the young man, stationed him not on the boundary but in the slips — an unconventional decision for a substitute fielder. That day Simpson pouched two brilliant catches, a moment that foreshadowed his evolution into one of the greatest slip fielders of all time. Evolution into an All-Rounder In the late 1950s, Simpson’s promise began to take shape. Selected for the 1957–58 South Africa tour, his batting was mo...