Brendan Taylor has added another remarkable chapter to his long international career, moving past Sachin Tendulkar to become the longest-serving player in men’s ODI history.
The Zimbabwe veteran reached the landmark on Tuesday when he took the field against Australia in the opening ODI of their three-match series at Harare Sports Club.
Taylor’s ODI career now stretches to 22 years and four months, edging beyond Tendulkar’s 22 years and three months. The India great, who made his ODI debut in 1989, retired from the format in 2012.
The longevity record is another achievement in a career that has already made Taylor one of Zimbabwe’s most important cricketers. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in April 2004 and has since played 207 matches, scoring 6,704 runs and 11 centuries — the most ODI hundreds by a Zimbabwe batter.
Tendulkar, meanwhile, remains the leading run-scorer in ODI cricket. He amassed 18,426 runs in 463 appearances, both records that continue to stand.
Taylor’s journey has also included a lengthy interruption. He retired from international cricket in 2021 before receiving a three-and-a-half-year suspension in 2022 for breaches of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping regulations.
He returned to international cricket in 2025 and has since remained part of Zimbabwe’s plans as the country builds towards the 2027 World Cup, which Zimbabwe will co-host with South Africa and Namibia.
His return for the Australia series is particularly notable given his age. At 40, Taylor is among the most experienced players in Zimbabwe’s squad, alongside Craig Ervine and fellow returning veteran Graeme Cremer.
