Omar Henry, the first black cricketer to represent South Africa, had no hesitation in admitting that he wouldn&rsquo;t have donned his country&rsquo;s colours if not for Nelson Mandela (95), who breathed his last in Johannesburg on Thursday. <img alt="Omar Henry" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/dec/Omar-Henry_1.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 384px;" /> Omar Henry during the historic first Test between India and South Africa at Durban in 1992. Pic/Getty Images. That series... Henry was picked in South Africa&rsquo;s team for the 1992-93 Test series against India, the Rainbow Nation&rsquo;s maiden Test series at home after being readmitted to international cricket in 1991. Henry&rsquo;s gratitude towards Mandela is probably greater than any other South African cricketer. &ldquo;If not for him, I wouldn&rsquo;t have played for South Africa. Considering where I was in my career, I wouldn&rsquo;t have got the opportunity. I owe it to Nelson Mandela,&rdquo; Henryu00a0(62) told MiD DAY from Cape Town yesterday. &ldquo;Well, at that stage, I felt I missed the bus because I had almost passed my sell-by-date. I was almost 40 years old. Mandela came and used sport as a vehicle to bring people together - people who were not together for more than 40 years. I personally benefited from that decision. &ldquo;I met him for the first time during that 1992-93 series. He was a remarkable man. I use him a lot as an example whenever I have to deliver speeches. I almost want to compare him with in many ways &mdash; not entirely &mdash; to Mahatma Gandhi. He falls in that bracket in terms of humility, in terms of striving to bring different classes together to improve relationships and to make the world a better world or a country,&rdquo; said Henry, who is Boland Cricket&rsquo;s CEO.

Omar Henry, SA's first black cricketer, gives thanks to departed leader

'Would never have made it if not for Mandela'

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'Would never have made it if not for Mandela'

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