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.
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.