There was a time before Alyssa Healy was raining sixes and grabbing nicks off opposition teams. She was still working pretty hard, but it was just outside the boundary lines.
During the 2009 Women's World Cup in Australia, Healy, then just short of 19, was working as a volunteer at the tournament.
After watching Deandra Dottin hit smash a huge six against Australia, Healy was interviewed about her experiences as a volunteer. "It was pretty intriguing in the end considering West Indies hit probably the biggest six I've ever seen in Drummoyne [Oval]," says the future international who went on to make the highest score in a Women's World Cup final. Australia went on to win the 2009 match against West Indies, although they didn't win the title.
Healy then goes on to describe her duties as a volunteer. "I get kicked around the ground a bit - the scoreboard over there, the sight screens, running drinks around for the other volunteers - it's a good job but hard work."
Less than a year later, her work would increase as she made her one-day and T20I debuts for Australia.
The 2025 ODI Women's World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka, starting September 30, will be Healy's first as Australia's captain. Australia, who are six-time world champions in the format, including having the won the most recent one in 2022, will kick off their campaign with a match against New Zealand in Indore on October 1.