[3][4] Henry made both his Test and ODI debuts after turning 40 and was a member of the South African squad that reached the semi-finals of the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
He grew up watching non-white players playing in South Africa and considers former England cricketer Basil D'Oliveira as his childhood idol.
He notably turned out for whites-only club Orange Free State in 1970s and became a regular in South African first-class matches from 1978.
He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on 2 March in a group stage match, returning figures of 1/31 in ten overs in a losing cause.
[19] In July 2021, during an emotional testimony at Cricket South Africa's Social Justice and Nation Building Hearings, he revealed that he was subjected to racist abuse during his playing days, which ultimately resulted in lack of international opportunities.
[20] He revealed that he had verbal arguments and heated exchange with South Africa's then-captain Kepler Wessels in the dressing room during the 1992 World Cup for not picking him for a group stage match against New Zealand which was played on a slow pitch.
[21][22] Omar had initially intended to fly home during the middle of the World Cup but was convinced to stay for the remainder of the tournament matches by Krish Makherdhuj.