Top 5 current players with the longest ODI careers

It is not always about bat and ball in cricket - there are a lot of things that go hand in hand with the game, one of the biggest being fitness. It is not about having the best physique when it comes to a game like cricket; you need more stamina and endurance to survive, even when it comes to the shortest format.

Chris Gayle had once described T20s as the toughest format he had played because of the intensity of the game. Tests are in itself a very strenuous process because of the length of the whole competition.

And even though ODIs were meant to be a way to reduce the extent of a five-day game and condense it into one day, they still require a lot of endurance especially from players who have crossed 35 years of age.

The 50-over format is still the one in which the World Cup is played and its importance cannot be undermined.

Here are five current players who have been playing ODIs for the longest time.

Note: All these players have played at least one ODI in 2018:

#5 Mashrafe Mortaza (16 years)

Bangladesh's speedster for years now has been somehow battling injuries and appearing year after year for his side. He has dropped his pace considerably, especially after his continuous knee injuries. He played his last Test way back in 2009 but has managed to take his career into the 17th year.

He made his debut way back in 2001, earning both his Test and ODI cap against Zimbabwe.

He played in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, but because of a knee injury, he had to be ruled out of the 2011 World Cup, something that led to a lot of furore back in Bangladesh.

He retired from T20Is in 2017 after his last game against Sri Lanka but continues to play ODIs and is currently his side's captain.

Over a 16 year period, he has played just under 200 ODIs.

#4 Hamilton Masakadza (16 years)

Hamilton Masakadza

The colossal figure of Zimbabwean cricket, Hamilton Masakadza is an attacking batsman who has managed to stay in the Zimbabwean team even with the changing times.

The 34-year-old has played just under 200 games but made his debut back in 2001 against South Africa. At one point, he held the record for the youngest to score a Test century on debut, but was soon overtaken by Bangladesh's Mohammad Ashraful.

He did not play Test cricket for six years between 2005 and 2011 but continued to show his prowess in ODI cricket, amassing over 5000 runs in the format. His career-best score of an unbeaten 178 is the second highest by a Zimbabwean, behind Charles Coventry's 194.

#3 Marlon Samuels (17 years)

Marlon Samuels

The West Indian all-rounder has been playing for his country for a long time, but still hasn't touched 200 ODI games. He made his debut as a 19-year-old in 2000 and has scored over 5000 runs but has not been able to perform consistently over a period of time.

Man of the Match in both the 2012 and 2016 finals of the World T20, Samuels was banned from international cricket for a period of 12 months in 2015 for an illegal bowling action.

He has been a controversial figure in West Indies cricket for a while now and was banned for two years in 2008 in connection with a match-fixing scandal where he passed match information to an alleged bookie.

#2 Shoaib Malik (18 years)

Shoaib Malik

The Pakistani all-rounder has played several roles for his team, right from an opener to a lower-order batsman to a crucial off-spinner who lends balance to the side. He is also one of the very few international cricketers who made their debut before 2000 and is still active in the top arena.

Malik has decided to retire from the ODI format after the 2019 World Cup, but will try and continue playing T20Is as long as he is fit.

He has played a total of 266 ODIs, scoring over 7000 runs in the format with nine hundreds to his name. He has also taken 156 wickets in the format. In 2008, he was the second-highest ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings.

#1 Chris Gayle (18 years)

Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss has been playing at the highest level for a long time and still is able to hit the big sixes he is known for. He started off as a thin teenager when he made his debut for West Indies but has now bulked up into a six-hitting machine who has the ability to smash opposition bowling attacks.

He made his debut way back in 1999, and has played a total of 284 ODIs till date. He is one of the few players to have scored a 200 in a single innings in the format.

He's arguably the greatest T20 player ever, but he has also scored heavily in the ODI format, stacking up close to 10,000 runs with 23 hundreds and almost 50 fifties to his name.