Zimbabwe veteran Brendan Taylor has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the longest-serving player in men’s ODI history, reaching the landmark during the first ODI against Australia in Harare on Tuesday.
Taylor’s ODI career now spans 22 years and four months, edging past Tendulkar’s 22 years and three months. The former India batter’s ODI career ended in 2012, having begun in 1989.
Tendulkar, however, continues to hold two major ODI records that remain out of Taylor’s reach. He is the format’s leading run-scorer with 18,426 runs and also holds the record for most ODI appearances, having played 463 matches.
Taylor, now 40, made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 and has established himself as one of the country’s most accomplished batters. Before Tuesday’s match, he had scored a national-record 11 ODI centuries in 207 appearances.
His journey to the longevity record has been far from straightforward. Taylor initially retired from international cricket in 2021, bringing an end to a career that had already spanned 17 years.
A year later, however, he was handed a three-and-a-half-year ban after breaching the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping codes. After completing his suspension, Taylor returned to international cricket in 2025 as Zimbabwe began preparing for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which the country will co-host alongside South Africa and Namibia.
His return has now allowed him to add a unique record to his career, taking him past one of the most enduring figures in ODI cricket.
The Australia series also carries a link to Zimbabwe’s previous ODI victory over the visitors. Australia’s Mitchell Marsh, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza and Taylor are the only three players involved in Tuesday’s match who also featured in Zimbabwe’s famous victory over Australia in 2014.
Taylor’s latest milestone therefore combines longevity with a reminder of his unusual career path. More than two decades after making his international debut, he is still taking the field for Zimbabwe and now occupies a place at the top of the ODI longevity charts.
