Stats: Cricketers with longest international careers
When the great Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, it was an emotional moment not just for the cricketers, but for his millions and billions of fans who had watched him play for over 24 years. He played for so long, and remained on top for so long that it was hard to imagine the sport without him for many of his fans.
Despite its longevity, Sachin’s career is the 5th longest in the history of cricket. Though the man played more than 10 times the matches than any other cricketer in the top 10 of this list.
The great Wilfred Rhodes’s career was the longest, stretching over 30 years, but also featured the break due to the First World War which lasted from 1914 to 1918.
| Player | From | To | Matches | Span |
| Wilfred Rhodes(Eng) | 1 Jun 1899 | 12 Apr 1930 | 58 | 30y 315d |
| Brian Close(Eng) | 23 Jul 1949 | 13 Jul 1976 | 25 | 26y 356d |
| Frank Woolley(Eng) | 9 Aug 1909 | 22 Aug 1934 | 64 | 25y 13d |
| George Headley(WI) | 11 Jan 1930 | 21 Jan 1954 | 22 | 24y 10d |
| Sachin Tendulkar(IND) | 15 Nov 1989 | 16 Nov 2013 | 664 | 24y 1d |
| John Traicos(SA/Zim) | 5 Feb 1970 | 25 Mar 1993 | 34 | 23y 48d |
| Sir Jack Hobbs(Eng) | 1 Jan 1908 | 22 Aug 1930 | 61 | 22y 233d |
| George Gunn(Eng) | 13 Dec 1907 | 12 Apr 1930 | 15 | 22y 120d |
| Sydney Gregory(SA) | 21 Jul 1890 | 22 Aug 1912 | 58 | 22y 32d |
| Freddie Brown(Eng) | 29 Jul 1931 | 30 Jun 1953 | 22 | 21y 336d |
Note: Stats updated till 20th June, 2014.