India Women created history in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, as the hosts won the trophy for the first time, beating South Africa Women in the Final at Navi Mumbai on Sunday (November 2) night. Shafali Verma was the hero of the match, who just joined the team for the knockout stages as a replacement for the injured Indian opener Pratika Rawal.
In the Final, which started two hours late due to rain, South Africa Women won the toss and chose to bowl first. Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provided a strong start with a 104-run partnership for the first wicket. While Smriti scored 45 runs, Shafali scored 87 off 78 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
Later, Deepti Sharma scored a run-a-ball 58 runs (three fours and one six), and Richa Ghosh played a powerful cameo of 34 from just 24 balls (three fours and two sixes). These batting performances helped India Women to score 298/7 in 50 overs.
In reply, South Africa Women were all out for 246 runs in 45.3 overs, as India Women won the Final by 52 runs. The skipper and the opener Laura Wolvaardt scored 101 off 98 balls with 11 fours and one six, but she didn’t get enough support from the other end, as only the middle-order batter Annerie Dercksen crossed the 30-run mark among the others by scoring 35 off 37 balls.
Among the Indian bowlers, Deepti Sharma recorded a fifer, as she had the bowling figures of 9.3-0-39-5, while Shafali Verma got two wickets (7-0-36-2).
Now, we are going through some top records of the Player of the Match in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Final, Shafali Verma.
Shafali Verma scored 87 runs in the Final at the age of 21 years and 278 days.
Shafali became the youngest batter to record 50+ runs in the Final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The previous record holder was the Australian cricketer Jess Duffin, who scored 75 off 76 balls, at the age of 23 years and 235 days, against the West Indies Women in the 2013 Final.
Shafali also recorded the highest score by an Indian in the Final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The previous record was 86 by Punam Raut against England Women in the Final of the 2017 edition.
Shafali also recorded her highest WODI score. Her previous highest WODI score record was 71 not out against Sri Lanka Women at Pallekele in 2022.
Shafali recorded her fifth WODI half-century, first in more than three years. Her previous WODI half-century was recorded on 4th July 2022, when she scored 71 not out vs Sri Lanka Women at Pallekele.
Shafali Verma scored 87 runs and also took two wickets in the Final.
Shafali Verma became the first cricketer in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final history to record 50+ runs and more than one wicket. Later, the Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma joined the list by creating a new history.
