Brendan Taylor Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar to Set Record for Longest ODI Career in Men's Cricket

Key facts

• Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor became the men's cricketer with the longest ODI career span, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record, when he played the first ODI against Australia at Harare Sports Club on September 15, 2026.
• Taylor's ODI career now spans 22 years and four months since his debut against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo on April 20, 2004, exceeding Tendulkar's span of 22 years and three months (December 18, 1989 to March 18, 2012).
• The 40-year-old, born February 6, 1986, had temporarily retired in 2021, served a three-and-a-half-year ban imposed in 2022 for ICC Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping breaches, and returned to international cricket in 2025.
• Ahead of the match, Taylor held Zimbabwe's national record of 11 ODI centuries in 207 matches.
• Sachin Tendulkar still holds the records for most ODI runs (18,426), most ODI appearances (463), and 49 ODI centuries.
• In the historic match, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first against Zimbabwe, captained by Sikandar Raza in the absence of the injured Richard Ngarava, with Mitchell Marsh leading Australia in the first of a three-match ODI series in Harare.
• Zimbabwe will co-host the 2027 ODI World Cup alongside South Africa and Namibia.