When Australia cricket captain Alyssa Healy studied Marine Biology and worked the counter at KFC

“Yeah, it’s me, I was at Uni studying Marine Biology, and I was working at KFC, and I absolutely loved it,” she said in the podcast, describing the image where she once served fries and marshalled the drive‑through orders. She was asked if she still got employee discounts? Healy rollicked, “No, KFC are our main sponsor, so I get gift vouchers and stuff there now, but elite athletes, I don’t eat it!” It was a clear disclaimer for athletes to stay away from fast food, however yummy it might be, and showed her discipline.

She also recalled how the burger and chicken wings stint suddenly ended – because she had a World Cup to play.
“So, I was literally being trained up to be the manager of that restaurant, and I got picked to go to the 2010 World Cup. I literally walked in there and I was like guys I have just got picked for Australia I gotta go to a World Cup, I don’t think I can work here anymore and they were like we will keep you on the books, if you want some shifts when you come home. I never went back so I could actually still be on the books at Concord KFC so shout out to them not coming back!” she said.

Earlier in an interview to Wide World of Sports, she had recalled how she started out. “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. That’s when I thought of doing something local and KFC ended up around the corner.”

WATCH: Alyssa Healy speaks about working at a KFC

In the same interview she said she was looking forward to studying Marine Biology for it was an interesting topic to study. While she is a neice of Ian Healy, Alyssa considered Christina Matthews as her early mentor. “As a bat, she has no fear,” Matthews would say, adding she was a typical keeper with a chirpy presence behind the stumps.

Cricket had proven to be an important release from grief for Ayssa when she lost her sister to a nut allergy. She played several sports, including golf competently. While her mother Sandra Healy has been very supportive, she gad joked, she could watch cricket for “10 minutes” at best, in the interview to Wide World. Father Greg however watched every ball, and she spoke of how she was grateful when he could correct her “Every false shot” she played.

“I would love to have a long career with Australia for sure, but at the moment I just want to put runs on the board,” she had said. As captain, she has come a long way.

While a non-threatening calf strain kept her out of the last group game for Australia, Healy is closing on on the 300 run mark at the WorldCup ahead of the semifinals against India. She is averaging a staggering 98 from 4 innings, with a top score of 142, and striking at 131. She has hit 47 fours and 3 sixes, and has 2 of the top 5 scores this Cup.

Smriti Mandhana leads the charts with 365 runs (40 fours, 8 sixes), while South African Laura Wolvaardt (42 fours, 2 sixes) is on 301.

Alyssa is the one of only two cricketers with 2 centuries this World Cup, alongside compatriot Ashleigh Gardner.

However, in the semis at Navi Mumbai, she will be up against Team India, who had struck 300+ against the gold green brigade, and snared early wickets. It’s not quite a chicken zinger vs vada pav battle, for neither side of elite athletes indulge much. But the battle is heating up.