Chinelle Henry set for WPL debut, ready to make an impact

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 19 : With Alyssa Healy sidelined due to a stress injury in her foot, West Indies all-rounder Chinelle Henry is set to make her debut for UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League (WPL). The powerful middle-order batter and fast bowler received a late call-up as Healy's replacement and is eager to seize the opportunity, reported ESPNcricinfo.
Henry's recent performances highlight why she was chosen to step in. On her maiden tour of India in December, she showcased her form with a blistering 16-ball 43 and a wicket in the third T20I against India in Navi Mumbai. She followed it up with a composed 61 off 72 balls in the third ODI in Vadodara, reaffirming her credentials as a dynamic player.
"This is a really huge, huge opportunity for me," Henry told ESPNcricinfo's Powerplay podcast, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"My only other franchise league would've been the CPL, so to be a part of one of the biggest franchises around in female cricket in the WPL is a really big thing for my career going forward. Next year maybe I could secure a place to be actually a part of a team permanently coming in the next edition of the WPL, so this year is definitely kind of like a test run, a trial run, for me," she added.
"Coming in has a replacement, that's a huge set of responsibilities on me, huge shoes to fill. The atmosphere playing along with some of the best in the world from their respective regions is going to be huge. This will be a lot of learning this year and I'm hoping that I can actually go there and deliver on the field when called upon, because that's the reason why I'm here. Obviously they saw something. Healy, unfortunately the team lost to injury, and to be that replacement is a huge honour," she said.
"A lot of people have been talking about it, that I have been in form lately, and that's something that I actually want to continue to do because obviously the pressure of the WPL is different from everything else," Henry said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"Being here in the WPL, I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous at first, but after coming back here, adjusting to the atmosphere, it's just about getting to know the girls a little bit better and just picking up where I left off the last time I was in India. It's just about continuing that confidence, continuing to play with that freedom and to know that I have the backing of the coaches and team," she said.
At 29 years old, with 111 international appearances across both white-ball formats, Henry is looking to expand her presence in global franchise leagues. She aims to follow in the footsteps of fellow West Indian cricketers Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, and Stafanie Taylor, who have made significant marks in franchise competitions worldwide.
Beyond her personal aspirations, Henry hopes to bring valuable experience back to the West Indies team, particularly as they gear up for crucial tournaments. In April, the West Indies will compete for one of two qualifying spots at the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India. Additionally, the team is set to play its first women's Test match in over two decades when they host Australia in 2026, marking a significant moment for women's cricket in the region.
"When you talk about West Indies, we always want to be at the big stage, big competitions, we always want to be competing," Henry said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"The same amount of confidence, the same amount of enthusiasm that we play the T20s with, that's something we are trying to go out there and play the longer version with. The longer version of the game is something that we are going to have to take more responsibility for as a person, as a team, and know that to avoid these situations [going through the qualifier] this is what we have to do," she said.
"We won the T20 World Cup once and definitely the ODI World Cup is something that we talked about. We just don't want to keep dwelling on the past that, 'hey, we won the 2016 T20 World Cup'. Teams are evolving, teams are getting better, players are getting better. We know that we have to get better and these are things that we have to do in order to be better at the longer version of the game," she added.
Before those milestones, West Indies will face England in a limited-overs series in May and June, consisting of three T20Is and three ODIs. The last time the two sides met, West Indies knocked England out of the T20 World Cup at the group stage. England, fresh off a demoralizing 16-0 points loss in the Women's Ashes, is undergoing an internal review to address their recent struggles. Henry expects a determined response from the English side, setting the stage for a fiercely contested series.
"The World Cup, it was good for us, the things that we achieved," she said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"England being one of the best in the world, we were able to overcome that hurdle. Unfortunately we couldn't make it to the final, but I was definitely proud of the team, proud of the performances. It is definitely going to be a challenge [playing in England] because I'm pretty sure they'll remember that we're the reason why they didn't make it further in the T20 World Cup, so there would be a lot to settle there," she said.
"But that happened and we know what it takes to beat teams that are ranked above us. We know what it takes individually and as a team and there's a lot we could take from that World Cup and bring into this series that we have coming up against them in May. They will be coming out guns blazing so as a unit we have to be up for the challenge and we have to be ready to know that when the pressure happens we just know how to deal with it," she added.
As Henry prepares for her WPL debut, she views this opportunity as a stepping stone to bigger achievements.