South Africa's Captain, Laura Wolvaardt Was 'Surprised' And 'Frustrated' By Shafali Verma's Bowling

It was a historic win for the Indian Women’s team, who defeated South Africa and lifted the trophy of the Women’s World Cup 2025. The match had many highlights, but it was Shafali Verma who came as a surprise package. While Shafali got India off to a flying start in their innings, it was her bowling that surprised many.

South Africa’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, was surprised by Shafali Verma’s bowling

During South Africa’s batting, when Harmanpreet Kaur handed the ball to Shafali, it came as a surprise to many as no one expected her to do the magic. Talking about Shafali’s bowling in a post-match conference, South African captain, Laura Wolvaardt, said:

“Didn't really expect her to bowl much today, so a bit of a surprise factor from them. She bowled front of the hand and really slow and was able to pick up a couple of wickets. In a World Cup final ,you don't want to lose wickets to a part-time bowler,

In the same interaction, Wolvaardt revealed that she was frustrated with the way Shafali bowled, as her team was not prepared to have it coming from her. In her words:

“It was frustrating that she was able to pick up two big ones as well. Then we almost had to err on the side of caution to not give her any more wickets. She bowled pretty well. Frustrating, I guess, because it's not really the person you plan for. But yeah, she played well.”

Harmanpreet revealed why she decided to let Shafali Verma bowl

Shafali Verma is the clearest example of what belief and determination can achieve. She was doubted and dropped, but the 21-year-old proved everyone wrong during the finals. Shafali was previously told that she was no longer needed in the one-day setup; her inconsistency outweighed her performance. She watched from the sidelines as India found a steady hand in Pratika Rawal.

Before the finale, she had bowled just 14 overs in her entire ODI career. But when Harmanpreet handed her the bowl, she herself never imagined that she was all set to make her mark again. Shafali dismissed two of South Africa’s most reliable middle-order batters, Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp. In a post-match interaction, Harmanpreet revealed why she let Shafali bowl and said:

“When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good. I just saw Shafali standing there, and the way she was batting, I knew it was our day. I thought I have to go with my gut feeling. If my heart was saying, I had to give her at least one over. And that was the turning point for us. When she came to the team, we spoke to her that we might need 2-3 overs, and she said if you give me bowling, I will bowl ten overs. Credit goes to her; she was so positive and she was there for the team. Salute her.”

What do you think about Shafali Verma’s bowling?

Also Read: Former Cricketer, Mithali Raj Reveals How Much Fees Players Used To Get Before Coming Under BCCI

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