England look to get T20 World Cup campaign back on track after surprise South Africa defeat

England will be looking to get their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign back on track against Thailand in Canberra on Wednesday, after suffering a shock defeat by South Africa in their opening game.

A tight performance from spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn helped take the game down to the 20th over on Sunday, but South Africa chased down the ­124-run target with two balls to spare, leaving England needing to win their three remaining matches to guarantee qualification for the semi-finals.

Thailand are an unknown quantity for Heather Knight and her team, as the sides have never faced each other in international cricket. Though England are expected to beat the No 11-ranked side, they would do well not to underestimate their opponents, who gave former world champions West Indies a scare at the Waca on Saturday, reducing them to 27 for three in the seventh over before captain Stafanie Taylor steadied the ship.

“Our strength is as a bowling and fielding side,” captain Sornnarin Tippoch, a former university softball player who played her first game of cricket at the age of 20, said after her side’s World Cup debut. “We will get better.”

For England the main area of concern is their batting, after they limped to a below-par total against South Africa, despite new coach Lisa Keightley’s insistence on playing eight specialist batters.

With opener Danni Wyatt struggling for form, one option would be to promote Tammy Beaumont back to the opening spot.

The pressure is on for England to not just win, but win convincingly, in order to shore up their position should their qualification for the semi-finals come down to net run rate.