Claude Henderson, a left-arm spinner, had to wait a long time for recognition as the South African spinning duties passed from Pat Symcox to Paul Adams and on to Nicky Boje. Surgery to Boje at the start of the 2001-02 summer opened the way for the 29-year-old Henderson to make his Test debut against Zimbabwe, and he was a late replacement for South Africa's tour of Australia when Boje failed to regain his fitness. A prison warder before he turned to cricket full time, Henderson has spent many South African winters honing his craft in the English leagues. Among South Africa's provincial cricketers, Henderson was highly-regarded, not least for his patience, but he left his homeland behind after it was clear he wouldn't have a major international future. He signed for Leicestershire as a Kolpak signing where he as been a consistent performer. At 37, after consistent performances for the Cobras in the Twenty20 format, Henderson earned a spot in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 in India in 2009.
Cricinfo Staff October 2009