Brendan Taylor created history when he lined up for Zimbabwe in the first ODI of their three-match series against Australia.
Taylor broke Sachin Tendulkar's world record for the longest ODI career. The India great played the format for a staggering 22 years and 91 days, making his ODI debut in December 1989 and playing his last game in the format in March 2012, both of which were against Pakistan.
Taylor, meanwhile, went through several ups and downs in his career after making his ODI debut in April 2004. He retired from Zimbabwe cricket after the 2015 ODI World Cup, having signed a Kolpak deal with Nottinghamshire. However, he returned to represent Zimbabwe in 2017 after being granted an early release from his contract.
Taylor yet again retired from international cricket in September 2021 but reversed the decision after his three-and-a-half years ban for breaching the ICC anti-corruption code ended in July 2025. The recent outing against Australia meant he has now been active in ODI cricket for 22 years and 148 days, surpassing the former India cricketer.
Taylor hadn’t featured in the format since August 31, 2025, when Zimbabwe faced Sri Lanka, and was third on the list then with a career span of 21 years and 133 days, behind Sanath Jayasuriya and Tendulkar. However, more than a year later, he has now overtaken both to top the list.
For the first time ever, a Full Member nation has featured three players aged 40 or above in their ODI XI 🇿🇼#ZIMvAUS pic.twitter.com/5pTQfwEN6z
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 15, 2026
Players with longest ODI careers in men’s cricket: Brendan Taylor breaks Sachin Tendulkar's world record
Player | From | To | Span | Matches |
Brendan Taylor | 20 Apr, 2004 | 15 Sep, 2026 | 22 years and 148 days | 208 |
Sachin Tendulkar | 18 Dec, 1989 | 18 Mar 2012 | 22 years and 91 days | 463 |
Sanath Jayasuriya | 26 Dec, 1989 | 28 Jun 2011 | 21 years and 184 days | 445 |
Javed Miandad | 11 Jun, 1975 | 9 Mar 1996 | 20 years and 272 days | 233 |
Sean Williams | 25 Feb, 2005 | 31 Aug 2025 | 20 years and 187 days | 164 |
Chris Gayle | 11 Sep, 1999 | 14 Aug 2019 | 19 years and 337 days | 301 |
Shoaib Malik | 14 Oct, 1999 | 16 Jun 2019 | 19 years and 245 days | 287 |
Rohit Sharma | 23 Jun, 2007 | 19 Jul 2026 | 19 years and 26 days | 288 |
Aravinda de Silva | 31 Mar, 1984 | 18 Mar 2003 | 18 years and 352 days | 308 |
Mushfiqur Rahim | 6 Aug, 2006 | 24 Feb 2025 | 18 years and 202 days | 274 |
With a stop-start career, Taylor has played 208 ODIs so far, scoring 6708 runs at an average of 35.12, with 11 centuries and 39 fifties to his name.
The Zimbabwe great couldn’t make the historic day memorable with the bat, falling for a 13-ball four in a 295-run chase. But he took a brilliant diving catch to send back Josh Inglis.
A 40 YEAR OLD BRENDAN TAYLOR GRABBING A STUNNER WITH THE GLOVES ON. 🤯#Brendantaylor #ZIMvsAUS #INDvsAFG#T20Cricket #Delhi #UPI pic.twitter.com/O8gEM43GEo
— SAHIL NAGPAL (@Pavilionpulse) September 15, 2026
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