Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor busts England's James Anderson's 21st century World Record in 2nd Test against New Zealand
Zimbabwe's veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor scripted history on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand

Brendan Taylor made a historic return to the Zimbabwe playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand, which began on Thursday, August 7, at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Brendan Taylor's inclusion comes as the hosts look to prevent another series loss on home soil. This marks Taylor's first Test match in four years; he last played in whites in July 2021 against Bangladesh. The 39-year-old was out of action for three and a half years, serving a ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching their anti-corruption code.

Taylor was found guilty of not reporting an approach in a timely manner after receiving payments and gifts from a businessman. With his return, the legendary Zimbabwe cricketer has now set a new world record.

His career is the longest in Test history for a player who debuted in the 21st century, surpassing the previous record held by James Anderson. Taylor’s overall tenure now ranks as the 11th longest in the history of Test cricket.

List of cricketers with longest Test career:
Frank Wooley | England | 25 Years, 13 days | 1909 | 1934 |
George Headley | West Indies | 24 years, 10 days | 1930 | 1954 |
Sachin Tendulkar | India | 24 years, 1 day | 1989 | 2013 |
John Traicos | South Africa | 23 Years, 40 days | 1970 | 1993 |
Jack Hobbs | England | 22 Years, 233 years | 1908 | 1930 |
George Gunn | England | 22 years, 230 days | 1907 | 1930 |
Syd Gregory | Australia | 22 Years, 32 Days | 1890 | 1912 |
Freddie Brown | England | 21 years, 336 days | 1931 | 1953 |
Dave Nourse | South Africa | 21 years, 313 days | 1902 | 1924 |
Brendan Taylor | Zimbabwe | 21 years, 93 days | 2004 | 2025 |
James Anderson | England | 21 years, 47 days | 2003 | 2024 |
Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 21 years, 47 days | 1994 | 2015 |

Another player to debut in the 21st century and have a Test career spanning more than two decades is Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim, who is still an active player.