Brendan Taylor surpasses Sachin Tendulkar to claim record for longest career in men’s ODIs

Zimbabwe veteran Brendan Taylor on Tuesday surpassed Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar to become the longest-serving player in the history of men’s One-Day International cricket, adding another remarkable milestone to a career that has stretched across more than two decades.

The 40-year-old achieved the feat when he took the field for Zimbabwe in the opening ODI against Australia at the Harare Sports Club. Taylor’s ODI career now spans 22 years and four months, eclipsing Tendulkar’s previous benchmark of 22 years and three months. The Indian great, who made his ODI debut in 1989 and played his final match in the format in 2012, had held the longevity record for years.

Record changes hands

Taylor made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 and developed into one of the country’s most prolific batters and influential cricketers. Heading into Tuesday’s match, he had featured in 207 ODIs and scored 11 centuries, the most by a Zimbabwe batter in the format. His career has included multiple interruptions, making his rise to the top of the longevity list particularly unusual.

Tendulkar, meanwhile, continues to hold two of the biggest records in ODI cricket despite losing the career-span mark. The former India captain remains the format’s highest run-scorer with 18,426 runs and its most-capped player with 463 appearances. His extraordinary ODI career also produced 49 centuries.

Taylor’s remarkable return

Taylor had initially retired from international cricket in 2021 before receiving a three-and-a-half-year ban in 2022 for breaches of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping codes. After completing the suspension, he returned to international cricket in 2025, extending a career that had appeared to be over several years earlier.

His comeback has come at an important time for Zimbabwe, who are preparing to co-host the next ODI World Cup alongside South Africa and Namibia. Taylor’s experience has again become valuable to the national side, and his appearance against Australia has now placed him at the top of one of international cricket’s most distinctive longevity records.