Navi Mumbai: South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt admitted that Shafali Verma's part-time off-spin, which saw the Indian opener pick up two wickets while conceding just 36 runs to swing the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup final at the DY Patil Stadium decisively in India's favour, was a "surprise factor" for her side. Wolvaardt, who played a brilliant lone hand in the summit clash — scoring 101 off 98 balls as her team lost by 52 runs to India, who went on to clinch their maiden World Cup title — confessed that it was "frustrating" that Shafali, who had earlier smashed a superb 78-ball 87, was able to bag two big wickets in the final. Coming into the final, Shafali had bowled just 14 overs and taken a single wicket in 30 ODIs. Yet, it took her only two balls to end a 52-run stand b

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