Kathmandu Gorkhas have signed former England national team player John Simpson for Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket. Kathmandu Gorkhas, owned by Kathmandu Sports Development Ventures Pvt. Ltd., has announced the signing of Simpson for NPL 2.

The 37-year-old Simpson has played 3 ODIs for England. He played all 3 matches during Pakistan's tour of the UK in 2021. Simpson scored 17 runs and took 5 catches in the second ODI against Pakistan at Lord's.

He is the second foreign wicketkeeper to be brought in by the Gorkhas. The Gorkhas have already included South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ricardo Vasconcelos, who is playing in England, in their squad. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus, American batsman Milind Kumar and English county player Ben Charlesworth are the other foreign players brought in for the NPL.

‘John ​​Simpson will bring his proven leadership skills, experience and composure to this group, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman who has enjoyed success in the county for many years,’ Gorkhaz head coach Monty Desai said in a team statement about Simpson, ‘He is also currently leading Sussex. His professionalism and calm demeanor are invaluable. We are delighted to have him join the Kathmandu Gorkhaz family and his arrival will further strengthen our batting and wicketkeeping.’

Simpson has experience in English domestic cricket, scoring over 16,500 runs in 542 matches. He has scored 11,351 runs in 229 first-class matches, including 19 centuries. In the last week of September, he captained Sussex to an unbeaten 129 in a first-class match against Worcestershire. This was his last match.