By Matthew Allen BBC Sport Online

As the first non-white player to represent South Africa in Test cricket, Omar Henry has already been at the forefront of a new dawn.

Ten years later Henry plans to instigate another as South Africa's new convenor of selectors and member of the newly formed National Cricket Committee.

As head of the newly appointed five-man selection team, the 50-year-old has been charged with addressing some of the problems currently afflicting the national side.

"My objective is to instil pride, commitment and vision into South African cricket," Henry told BBC Sport Online.

"The first thing we need to do is sit down with the management, coaches and players and work out what they need to be able to work to the best of their ability.

"We will set ground rules and parameters so that everybody knows their roles.

"We want to finalise players' contracts by the end of the month so that players are not sitting around with anxiety about their future.

"The captaincy and coaching roles will also come up for discussion and the issue will be finalised very soon."

South African cricket faced a barrage of criticism after being thrashed by Australia in the two-legged Test series and the consequent one-day rubber at home during the winter.

"We came up against an obstacle in a good Australian side, but we could have won three or four one-day internationals after getting into a position of strength.

"We have the ability and talent and the players to take it forwards to become the best cricket force in the world."

The selection panel is made up of Henry, Haroon Lorgat, Hugh Page, Douglas Maku and Patrick Symcox.

"I believe the panel is very well balanced and carries solid credibility," said UCB chief executive Gerald Majola.

"I am proud to announce this panel and believe that in Omar we have someone who fits perfectly the profile that we would want for a convenor of national selectors."