• Source:JND

Zimbabwe veteran Brendan Taylor has created history by surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record for the longest career in ODI cricket.

Taylor achieved the feat when he walked out for Zimbabwe in their first ODI against Australia at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday. His ODI career has now stretched to 22 years and 146 days since his debut in 2004, taking him past Tendulkar’s record of 22 years and 91 days, which the India great held from 1989 to 2012.

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The milestone adds another chapter to Taylor’s long and eventful international career. The wicketkeeper-batter has been one of Zimbabwe’s most consistent run-scorers and was closing in on Andy Flower’s record before the Australia series. Taylor had scored 6,704 ODI runs in 205 innings, just behind Flower’s 6,786 runs from 208 innings.

Longest men’s ODI careers 

Player Country From To Span Mat
Brendan Taylor Zimbabwe 20 Apr 2004 15 Sep 2026* 22y 148d* 208*
Sachin Tendulkar India 18 Dec 1989 18 Mar 2012 22y 91d 463
Sanath Jayasuriya Sri Lanka 26 Dec 1989 28 Jun 2011 21y 184d 445
Javed Miandad Pakistan 11 Jun 1975 9 Mar 1996 20y 272d 233
Sean Williams Zimbabwe 25 Feb 2005 31 Aug 2025 20y 187d 164
Chris Gayle West Indies 11 Sep 1999 14 Aug 2019 19y 337d 301
Shoaib Malik Pakistan 14 Oct 1999 16 Jun 2019 19y 245d 287
Rohit Sharma India 23 Jun 2007 19 Jul 2026 19y 26d 288
Aravinda de Silva Sri Lanka 31 Mar 1984 18 Mar 2003 18y 352d 308
Mushfiqur Rahim Bangladesh 6 Aug 2006 24 Feb 2025 18y 202d 274

Taylor's iconic performance

Taylor has also captained Zimbabwe in all three formats. One of his most memorable performances came at the 2015 ODI World Cup, where he hit two centuries, including one against India, who had won the previous edition of the tournament.

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That match against India marked the end of Taylor’s first stint in international cricket. He stepped away from Zimbabwe duty in 2015 after signing a three-year Kolpak deal with Nottinghamshire, although he left the county midway through his final season. He eventually returned to international cricket more than two years later.

Taylor takes retirement U-turn

Taylor retired again in 2021. At the time, he announced his decision on social media, saying: “It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that tomorrow is my last game for my beloved country. 17 years of extreme highs and extreme lows, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

He later opened up about a difficult episode from 2019, revealing that people involved in corruption had tried to trap him. Taylor said he was offered cocaine and later blackmailed.

He did not immediately report the incident to the ICC and was eventually handed a three-and-a-half-year ban.

Taylor had been considering a move into coaching after his playing career, but Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Givemore Makoni convinced him to return to the international setup, with the 2027 ODI World Cup also in sight.


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