Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor broke the legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record for the longest ODI career when he took the field against Australia in the first ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
Taylor, who is 40 years old, is playing his 208th ODI, more than 22 years after making his international debut against Sri Lanka at the same venue.
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The Zimbabwe batter's ODI career now spans 22 years and four months, taking him past Tendulkar's record of 22 years and three months. Tendulkar retired from the 50-over format in 2012 after a career that began in 1989.
Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in ODI cricket, having amassed 18,426 runs in 463 appearances. Taylor, meanwhile, has scored 6,704 runs heading into the first ODI against Australia, including 11 centuries and 39 fifties.
Taylor initially retired from international cricket in 2021. However, he was handed a three-and-a-half-year ban in 2022 for breaching the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping codes.
After serving his suspension, Taylor came out of retirement in 2025 as Zimbabwe prepared for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which the country will co-host along with South Africa and Namibia.
Taylor's return has now resulted in another landmark moment in his international career, with the Zimbabwe veteran surpassing one of the most enduring records held by Tendulkar in ODI cricket.
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The second and third ODIs of the ongoing series will be played at the same venue on September 18 and 20, respectively.
The series will give Australia an idea of the pitches and playing conditions in Africa ahead of next year's ODI World Cup. For Zimbabwe, meanwhile, the clashes against Australia will provide valuable game time against a quality opposition.
At the time of writing, Australia had scored 189 runs in 34 overs for the loss of five wickets.
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