On September 29, 2026, Nottinghamshire announced that they had signed wicketkeeper-batter John Simpson to a two-year contract. The 38-year-old, whose contract goes past his 40th birthday, will be eligible for red-ball and Metro Bank One-Day Cup games at Trent Bridge after arriving from Sussex when it expires.
Before the 2024 season, John Simpson moved from Middlesex to Sussex, where he had an instant impact. That year, he took over as Championship captain and led the county to the Division Two championship while scoring 1197 runs at an average of 74.81. During the same season, Sussex also made it to the T20 Blast semifinals.
Before giving Ollie Robinson the captaincy ahead of the 2026 season, in which he scored 581 County Championship runs, he managed a Division One fourth-place finish in 2025. John Simpson amassed 2864 red-ball runs at 53.03 with 11 hundreds during his three years at Hove. In 2021, Simpson played three ODIs for England as well.
Simpson’s departure from Sussex was mostly due to financial difficulties rather than a decline in their playing connection. Despite his major efforts on and off the pitch, including guiding the county back into Division One cricket, the club was unable to keep him over the present contract.
I’m eager to join Nottinghamshire and take on a new professional challenge at Trent Bridge. I’m excited to join them and continue competing for honours since they’re a fantastic squad with some extremely talented players who have clearly had some success lately. Simpson was reported, “I’m excited to experience that environment and hopefully win some more trophies because I have a lot of respect for Peter Moores and I know his teams are always driven to succeed.”
What impact will John Simpson’s arrival have on Nottinghamshire?
John Simpson’s hiring indicates that Kyle Verreynne, the South Africa Test wicketkeeper, will not be coming back to Trent Bridge for the 2027 campaign. Verreynne, who most famously hit the six that secured Nottinghamshire’s Championship title in 2025, had been an important member of the county. Prior to the 2026 season, Sussex ended one spot ahead of Nottinghamshire, who were the reigning champions.
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While outlining the strategic advantages of the new addition, head coach Peter Moores acknowledged the importance Verreynne had contributed. John has a strong track record over the past few years as a batter and wicketkeeper. It’s a double-edged sword since Kyle has been amazing for us and we have loved having him. According to the aforementioned source, “the flexibility that it will give us with our second overseas spot moving forward is the big difference by having John play the same role.”
