The reasons why: A decade of coaching, a lifetime of cricket

by Bob Simpson

This work chronicles the 40-plus years that Bob Simpson has been involved with Australian cricket, including his shock dismissal as the Australian coach.

223 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1996

About the author

Robert Baddeley Simpson AO (3 February 1936 – 16 August 2025), known as Simmo, was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian national team. He captained the Australian team from 1963/64 until 1967/68 and again in 1977/78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the national team.

An outstanding fielder with the highest catch rate in Tests, Simpson was a top-level right-handed batsman and semi-regular leg spin bowler. After ten years in retirement, he returned to the spotlight at age 41 to captain Australia during the era of World Series Cricket.

In 1986, Simpson was appointed coach of the Australian team, a position he held until being replaced by Geoff Marsh in July 1996. Under Simpson's tutelage, the team went from a struggling team, losing a succession of Test series, to the strongest team in world cricket. Some of the team's greatest achievements in his time as coach were winning the 1987 World Cup, regaining The Ashes in England in 1989, and overcoming the previously dominant West Indies on their home grounds in 1995. He also coached county cricket in England, with Leicestershire and Lancashire.

Reviews

[Ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Er.. the title is actually "The Reasons Why" and it was published in 1996. An interesting read written by the coach who took Australia from the bottom of the table to the top. It only gets three stars as this account is very guarded and quite censored. It's painfully obvious when Simmo holds back.