Sachin Tendulkar with World Cup trophy - (Source: AFP)On Tuesday, September 15, Australia and Zimbabwe locked horns for the 1st ODI at the Harare Sports Club. The series opener marked the return of Zimbabwe legend Brendan Taylor, who is back in the side after not playing ODIs for more than a year.40-year-old Taylor not only returned to the side, but his presence in the playing XI rewrote history books. Notably, the star keeper-batter shattered Sachin Tendulkar's record for longest ODI career.Brendan Taylor Etches Past Sachin Tendulkar's ODI CareerBefore this match, Sachin Tendulkar held the record for longest ODI career. The master blaster made his fifty-over debut on 18 December 1989 and played his last on 18 March 2012 against Pakistan. Sachin's ODI career spanned 22 years and 91 days.Brendan's last ODI before Australia series was on August 31, 2025, when he was ranked 3rd on the list. However, with the latest appearance, Brendan Taylor has gone past Tendulkar with career lasting 22 years and 148 days.Longest ODI Career22y 148d - Brendan Taylor22y 91d - Sachin Tendulkar21y 184d - Sanath Jayasuriya20y 272d - Javed Miandad20y 187d - Sean Williams19y 337d - Chris Gayle19y 245d - Shoaib Malik19y 21d - Rohit Sharma18y 352d - Aravinda de SilvaBrendan Taylor's Roller-Coaster Career, Retirement In 2021 and ICC BanBrendan Taylor made his ODI debut on April 20, 2004 against Sri Lanka at the age of 18. The 40-year-old has played 208 ODIs, amassing 6704 runs, averaging 35.28. In his illustrious career, the right-handed batter scored 11 centuries, the most by any Zimbabwe cricketer. Also Read: List of Sachin Tendulkar Records That Joe Root Is Yet To Break After ENG vs PAK 2026Brendan Taylor's career has been full of challenges. In September 2021, the 40-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket after a 17-year career. Taylor failed a drug test before his final ODI in 2021, which prompted ICC to take action. On 28 January 2022, Taylor was banned from all forms of cricket for 3 and a half years, after he was found to have breached the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and the ICC Anti-Doping Code.Taylor admitted to substance abuse and also confessed getting involved in spot-fixing. The 40-year-old returned to cricket after 3 years in 2025 and now has extended his career to 22 long years, which has been a hard journey.Rohit Sharma The Only Active Indian On This Illustrious ListRohit Sharma is the only active Indian part of this illustrious list. However, it is difficult for the Hitman to go past Brendan Taylor's record. At present, Rohit is 39 and there is already questions over his place in the ODI team.Rohit is facing difficulty to play the ODI World Cup 2027 and even if he does, then the prestigious tournament will be his last in Indian colours.Also Read: Rajat Patidar Joins Ruturaj Gaikwad For Comeback In India vs West Indies ODIs
