As the Women's ODI World Cup is going on, the limelight once again remains on Australia who are the best side in the world by some distance. Even as teams like India and England have started to improve their skills, the Aussies continue to remain the top as they eye yet another World Cup title.
Skipper Alyssa Healy has led from the front for the defending champions and her successive centuries against India and Bangladesh has capped off a purple patch for the wicket-keeper batter. Not too long ago, her form was a bit wobbly but all that is now history as Healy looks towards adding a title as captain to her kitty.
For all her caliber with the bat and behind the stumps, it's Healy's irresistable personality that takes the cake. Did you know that Healy worked as a part-time employee with KFC before she became a full-time professional cricketer? A video interview from 2010 on YouTube sees the then 19-year-old talking about her future ambitions regarding studies and cricket.
At the age of 12, Alyssa had to face a massive tragedy as her elder sister Kareen Healy passed away at the age of 15 to a nut allergy reaction. That incident left a massive scar on Alyssa and made her a mentally tougher person as she had to battle the demons of the irreplaceable loss.
In a way, cricket like any sport helped Alyssa to deal with her traumas, even if only temporarily. Apart from being extremely talented at cricket, Healy was also supremely gifted at golf and field hockey. That explains her now famous bat swing that has intimidated many a bowler across the world.
As for working at KFC, part-time jobs are a common trait in foreign countries and in Australia, it is no different. People who are still studying prefer to have a part-time job amidst their studies and at least one sports as a hobby. For Alyssa, the options were always aplenty in that regard.
"When school finished last year (2009), I had two months off and was resting around. Then I got a push from my parents to get going," explains Alyssa in the interview with Wide World of Sports.
"That's when I thought of doing something local and KFC ended up around the corner."
Niece to one of cricket's greatest wicketkeepers in Ian Healy, Alyssa took after her uncle's cricketing skill-set although she was always a lot more gifted with the bat than Ian ever was. The uncle-niece common characteristics were obvious when they kept wickets as Alyssa loved to be chirpy and bubbly behind the stumps, as most players behind the stumps are.
"If I can be half as good as him (Ian Healy), I'll be doing alright."
15 years later, Healy is in line to become a World Cup-winning captain if Australia continue their juggernaut. What a story that would be!
