Zimbabwe's veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor has rewritten cricket history, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record for the longest ODI career in men's cricket history, as confirmed by Cricinfo. Taylor owned the historic feat during the opening match of Zimbabwe's three-game ODI home series against Australia in Harare, stretching his international career to an astonishing 22 years and 148 days.
Brendan Taylor crushes Sachin Tendulkar's record
This feat shifts Tendulkar to second place on the all-time longevity list, ending his previous benchmark of 22 years and 91 days. Sri Lankan icon Sanath Jayasuriya now rounds out the top three, having logged an ODI career that spanned 21 years and 184 days.
Despite losing his longevity record, Tendulkar remains unmatched at the top of the overall One-Day International charts. The Indian icon still firmly holds the records for both the highest aggregate runs in the format, with 18,426 runs, and the most caps in history, having featured in 463 matches.
Taylor now has the longest ODI career
Taylor, now 40, originally stepped onto the international stage back in April 2004 during an ODI against Sri Lanka, eventually evolving into the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's batting lineup. Heading into Tuesday's historic fixture, the veteran had accumulated 6,704 runs across 207 outings, a tally featuring a national record of 11 centuries.
ALSO READ: Bhuvneshwar Kumar shares pain of accepting his India career was finished, says 'I told my wife...'
Brendan Taylor initially stepped away from international cricket in 2021, but his career took a dramatic turn four months later in January 2022. The Zimbabwean batter publicly disclosed that match-fixers had targeted him in 2019, using cocaine to compromise him before attempting blackmail. While Taylor maintained that he never compromised any game, he acknowledged delaying his report to the ICC due to severe concerns for his family’s safety. As a result of the delayed disclosure, he was handed a three-and-a-half-year ban from all cricket activities.
Following the completion of his suspension, Taylor reversed his retirement in 2025 to rejoin the national setup. His return coincides with Zimbabwe's build-up toward the 2027 ODI World Cup, an event set to be co-hosted alongside neighboring South Africa and Namibia.