Kathmandu: England international cricketer John Simpson will play for Kathmandu Gorkhas in the second Nepal Premier League (NPL), a franchise based Twenty20 cricket tournament, scheduled to take place from November 17 to December 30.

The 37-year-old has represented England in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) — all during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2021. In the second ODI at Lord’s, he scored 17 runs and took five catches behind the stumps.

“John Simpson brings proven leadership, experience, and composure to our squad. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter has been consistently successful in county cricket for years,” said Kathmandu Gorkhas’ head coach Monty Desai. “He currently captains Sussex, and his professionalism and calm temperament are invaluable. We are delighted to welcome him to the Gorkhas family. His presence will further strengthen our batting and wicketkeeping departments.”

Simpson has played over 542 matches in English domestic cricket, amassing more than 16,500 runs. In 229 first-class matches, he has scored 11,351 runs, including 19 centuries. In late September, he captained Sussex and scored an unbeaten 129 against Worcestershire — his most recent first-class outing.

Simpson becomes the fifth foreign signing for the Kathmandu-based franchise.

The Gorkhas have already signed South African wicketkeeper-batter Ricardo Vasconcelos, Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus, American batter Milind Kumar, and English county cricketer Ben Charlesworth for the upcoming NPL.

The Gorkhas have retained marquee player Karan KC along with Bhim Sharki, Shahab Alam, Rashid Khan, Dipesh Kandel, and Pratik Shrestha.The team added Mohammad Adil Alam, Santosh Yadav, Aakash Tripathi, Uttam Thapa Magar and Tul Bahadur Thapa from the recent mini auction.
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