Top 10 Cricketers with the Longest Career in Cricket (2025 Update)

Cricket is a sport that requires an immense amount of hard work, dedication, and skills. These abilities and attributes determine the career of a cricket player. Over the years, many legendary cricketers have been a part of the sport, but haven't been able to stay at the top level for a long span. The longevity of a cricket player's career requires adaptability, consistency, and fitness. In modern-day cricket, the cricketers struggle to maintain a long career due to a lot of mental pressure and injuries because of multiple cricketing formats running all together. In this article, we will talk about the top cricketers with the longest career in cricket.

List of Cricketers with Longest Career in Cricket

Cricket is a game of patience and excellence, which has seen many world-class players excelling in the sport from all over the world. These players have shown consistency and shone at the top level of international cricket, but only a few have managed to dominate the stage for multiple decades. Here is a list of the top cricketers with the longest career in cricket history.

Who has the longest career in international cricket?

In the game of cricket, talent comes second to dedication and fitness. The skills can take players to the top of international cricket, but it is the endurance and hard work that keep them there for a span of years. Many star players have been through rise and fall, but only a few have stood the test of time. Here is the list of the top cricketers with the longest career in cricket:

10. Chris Gayle | West Indies | 22 years 56 days

Chris Gayle, regarded as the most dominating and attacking opener in the limited-overs format, established himself as one of the finest batters from the West Indies Cricket Team. He made a mark for himself in international cricket as well as in the biggest cricket leagues in the world. Gayle made his international debut on 11 September 1999 and played his farewell match on 6 November 2021, spanning his cricketing career of 22 years 56 days with 483 matches.

9. George Gunn | England | 22 years 120 days

George Gunn was a right-handed batter known for his temperament and skills. He was one of the first to play orthodox and attacking strokes in the initial days for the England Cricket Team. Gunn made his international debut on 13 Dec 1907 and played his farewell match on 12 Apr 1930, making his cricketing career span 22 years 120 days but with only 15 matches.

8. Collins Obuya | Kenya | 22 years 221 days

Collins Obuya is one of the greatest cricketers for Kenya, a talented all-rounder who bats right-handed along bowls leg break. During the 2003 ODI World Cup, he helped the Kenya Cricket Team to reach the semi-finals, with his astonishing bowling performance in the tournament with 13 wickets. Obuya made his international debut on 15 Aug 2001 and played his farewell game on 23 Mar 2024, spanning his cricketing career to 22 years 221 days with 179 matches.

7. Jack Hobbs | England | 22 years 233 days

Jack Hobbs was a talented and skillful right-handed batter with 61,237 first-class runs, including 197 centuries. He was a dominating force in the batting order, who consistently scored runs for the team. He is the oldest cricketer to score a Test century at the age of 46. On 1 Jan 1908, Hobbs made his international debut for England and played his farewell match on 22 Aug 1930, making his career span 22 years 233 days with 61 matches.

6. John Traicos | South Africa/Zimbabwe | 23 years 48 days

John Traicos was an effective, accurate, and disciplined off-spinner of the late 1900s. He was a talented bowler who represented both South Africa and Zimbabwe in international cricket. He made his debut for the South African Cricket Team on 5 February 1970 and played his last international match for Zimbabwe on 25 Mar 1993, spanning his career to 23 years 48 days with 34 matches.

5. Sachin Tendulkar | India | 24 years 1 day

Sachin Tendulkar was the most complete and prolific batter in international cricket for more than a decade. He is regarded as the god of cricket for his record-breaking and match-winning performances for the Indian Cricket Team. As of now, he is the highest run scorer in international cricket with more than 30,000 runs. At just the age of 16, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in international cricket on 15 November 1989 and played his farewell match on 16 November 2013, spanning his international cricket career to 24 years 1 day with 664 matches. He is a cricketer with the longest career in Indian Cricket history.

4. George Headley | West Indies | 24 years 10 days

George Headley was a great batter during his time in international cricket and was also compared to Don Bradman for his technique and skills. He is one of the best batters in the history of West Indies Cricket, who has one of the longest careers in cricket. With only a limited number of matches, he dominated the cricketing circuit and made a name for himself on the international stage. He was known for his strong on-side strokes and consistency while batting. On 11 Jan 1930, George made his international debut for the side and played his farewell match on 21 Jan 1954, making his cricketing career span 24 years 10 days, with only 22 matches.

3. Frank Woolley | England | 25 years 13 days

Frank Woolley is one of the finest and most elegant left-handed all-rounders from England who belong to the list of cricketers with the longest career in cricket history. He dominated the ranks in the English domestic circuit with 58,969 runs (including 145 centuries) and 2,066 wickets. He made a name for himself with his dominant performances and tall height. Woolley made his international debut on 9 Aug 1909 and played his farewell match on 22 Aug 1934, making his cricket career span 25 years and 13 days with 64 matches.

2. Brian Close | England | 26 years 356 days

Brian Close was a legendary batter and fielder and one of the cricketers with the longest career in cricket from England. Apart from his cricketing career, he is also celebrated in England as a great cricket expert. He was a tough cricketer who faced many injuries and setbacks but always performed his best for the team. On 23 Jul 1949, Close made his international debut for England and played his farewell match on 13 Jul 1976, spanning his cricketing career to 26 years and 356 days, with only 25 games.

1. Wilfred Rhodes | England | 30 years 315 days

The cricketer with the longest career in international cricket, Wilfred Rhodes, was a skillful and talented cricketer with dominant performances and a valuable impact on the team. He was a right-handed batter who could also bowl slow left-arm orthodox bowling. He is one of the initial cricketers in the England cricket circuit who played a major role in developing cricket in the nation. Wilfred Rhodes made his international debut on 1 Jun 1899 and played his last match for England on 12 Apr 1930, spanning his career to be 30 years and 315 days with 58 matches.