Nottinghamshire have confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter John Simpson has signed a two-year contract, with the deal officially announced on September 29, 2026. The 38-year- old, coming from Sussex following the end of his contract, will be available for red-ball and Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches at Trent Bridge, with the agreement lasting past his 40th birthday. Over the course of his 17-year professional career, during which he spent over a decade with Middlesex, including their 2016 Division One title win, he accumulated more than 14,000 runs in first-class and List A matches before moving to Sussex in 2024.
Simpson transferred from Middlesex to Sussex ahead of the 2024 season and had an immediate impact. He took on the role of Championship captain and led the county to the Division Two title that year, scoring 1197 runs at an average of 74.81. During that same campaign, Sussex also progressed to the T20 Blast semi-finals.
Simpson, who earned three One-Day International caps for England in 2021, amassed 581 County Championship runs in the 2026 season, his first time falling below the 1,000-run threshold in his three years at Hove, as Sussex ended third in the table, just ahead of Notts. He called his time with Sussex ” some of the most enjoyable and rewarding of my career” but added that he was ” excited” by the ” new challenge” at Nottinghamshire.
Cricinfo quotes Simpson saying, “I’m really excited to sign for Nottinghamshire and experience a new challenge in my career up at Trent Bridge. They’re a great team with some really good players who have obviously enjoyed some success recently, so I can’t wait to join up with them and keep challenging for honours. I’ve got a lot of respect for Peter Moores, and I know his teams are always driven to succeed, so I’m excited to experience that environment and hopefully win some more trophies.”
Kyle Verreynne’s departure to Trent Bridge marks the end of his stint with the East Midlands side, during which the South African player contributed to the club winning the 2025 County Championship in his three-year tenure. In September, Verreynne’s stint at Trent Bridge was abruptly ended when he was called up by Cricket South Africa, prompting Notts to sign New Zealand’s Mitchell Hay on a temporary contract to help them complete their unsuccessful bid to keep the title.
