Sports Correspondent
Zimbabwe cricket star Brendan Taylor has etched his name into the history books after surpassing Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as the longest-serving player in men’s One-Day International cricket.
Taylor achieved the milestone when he took the field for Zimbabwe against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old’s ODI career has now stretched to 22 yearsand four months, eclipsing Tendulkar’s previous record of 22 years and three months.
Taylor made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in April 2004 and has gone on to play 207 matches, scoring 6,704 runs, including a Zimbabwe-record 11 centuries.
His record-breaking appearance came after a remarkable return to international cricket.
Taylor retired from international cricket in 2021 but was handed a three-and-a-half-year ban in 2022 after breaching the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption and anti-doping regulations.
He returned to the Zimbabwe side in 2025 and has since continued to play a role as the Chevrons build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, had held the ODI longevity record for more than 13 years. He remains the format’s leading run-scorer with 18,426 runs and holds the record for most ODI appearances with 463 matches.
Taylor’s latest achievement adds another significant milestone to an international career spanning more than two decades and makes him the first Zimbabwean to hold the prestigious ODI longevity record.
His return to the side also comes at a crucial time for Zimbabwe, with the team preparing for the 2027 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.
