22 Years and Counting: Brendan Taylor Breaks Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI Record
Taylor made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 and has gone on to become one of the country’s most successful batters. Before Tuesday’s match, the 40-year-old has played 207 ODIs and scored 6,704 runs, including a Zimbabwe record of 11 centuries. However, Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in ODI history as this veteran Indian opener has scored 18,426 runs in 463 ODI matches during his remarkable ODI career. He made his debut in 1989 and played his final ODI in 2012.
XtraTime Webdesk: Zimbabwe veteran Brendan Taylor has etched his name in history after overtaking Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as the player with the longest career in men’s One Day International cricket.
Taylor achieved the milestone on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, when he took the field for Zimbabwe in the first ODI against Australia at Harare Sports Club. His ODI career has now spanned 22 years and four months, moving him ahead of Tendulkar, whose career lasted 22 years and three months.
Taylor made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 and has gone on to become one of the country’s most successful batters. Before Tuesday’s match, the 40-year-old had played 207 ODIs and scored 6,704 runs, including a Zimbabwe-record 11 centuries. Tendulkar, however, remains the leading run-scorer in ODI history, having scored 18,426 runs in 463 matches during his remarkable career. He made his debut in 1989 and played his final ODI in 2012.
Taylor’s journey has also included a difficult period away from international cricket. He announced his retirement in 2021 but later returned to the game. In 2022, he received bans of three years and three and a half years after breaching the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping codes. After completing his suspension, Taylor returned to international cricket in 2025.
His latest comeback has now produced another memorable chapter. Zimbabwe recalled Taylor for the three-match ODI series against Australia, with the veteran also expected to take on wicketkeeping duties following Clive Madande’s injury.
