Inspired by Jamaica's great sprint queens and thinking of her compatriots impacted by Hurricane Melissa, Chinelle Henry has pledged to deliver on her big-hitting reputation as Brisbane Heat's trump WBBL draftee.
The 30-year-old hopes to follow West Indies team-mates Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin in making waves in Australia, selected by Heat to provide late innings big-hitting and medium pace.
Henry was training in Antigua and then flew to Australia through Miami when catastrophic winds up and storms caused at least 28 deaths and wrecked homes and businesses in Jamaica.
"Every time I pick up my phone .. it's the first thing I see and there's not really much I can do but send support," Henry said on arrival in Brisbane on Monday, ahead of Sunday's season opener.
"It's a really hard time for people in Jamaica who've lost a lot due to this hurricane and now it's about how we regroup as a country."
Henry has played 57 ODIs and 65 T20Is for the West Indies and admits choosing cricket over track and field or soccer was the "correct choice".
But the former sprinter has been influenced by her country's sprint stars as much as its cricketers, with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce leaving a mark.
"Track and field ... that was my first love," she said. "But dad was always playing and just dragging me along and somewhere along the way it developed. I'm really proud to be here today [representing Jamaica]."
This year in all T20s across the Women's Premier League (WPL), internationals and Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), Henry has a strike-rate of 155.95, the third-highest of anyone with at least 300 runs.
"That's [power hitting] the reason why I'm here, why the team signed me," she said. "Walking out on the field ... whatever's going to happen, I'll stick to my style."
Henry will team up with Indian star Jemimah Rodrigues, who broke Australian hearts with a match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup semi-final, at Heat.
She expects India's title on home soil to supercharge the women's game and has faith West Indian cricket can rise again.
"Every time we have a game or series, that's the first comment," she said when asked to assess the state of the game in her country."Our cricket's not what it used to be [but] every time we put on that maroon we fight for the badge.
"It's about trusting and believing in the process to getting back to that team that everyone was so used to talking about."
Heat, who finished as runners-up last season, start their season in a rematch of that final with Melbourne Renegades at Allan Border Field on November 9