It was an unfamiliar situation, but an exciting one rather than overwhelming, he told Bernama in a post-match interview.

With Malaysia and England level at 2-2, Zii Jia held his nerve in the decider, turning what could have been a nervy finish into a composed performance to seal the tie as he defeated world No. 233 Nadeem Dalvi 21-13, 21-11 in 35 minutes.

“So, it was also my first time playing the deciding game, I was curious how I was going to complete this mission, it’s very challenging,” he said.

“The pressure was there, but not too much, it was more about being excited about dealing with the situation.”

Team captain Aaron Chia and his doubles partner, Soh Wooi Yik, said they took responsibility to bring Malaysia back into contention after first singles player Justin Hoh lost to Harry Huang 19-21, 19-21 in the opening match.

Aaron said Justin’s defeat did not affect them mentally as they remained confident, as Malaysia’s main hope in the tournament, of delivering on the promise, Aaron-Wooi Yik levelled the tie by defeating Oliver Butler-Samuel Jones 21-19, 21-13.

Justin admitted he succumbed to pressure in his role in the first singles, while second singles player and world No 51 Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin said he was disappointed with his performance after suffering a shock defeat to world No. 153 player Cholan Kayan 16-21, 15-21.

Second doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun kept Malaysia’s hopes alive with a 21-14, 21-14 win over Alex Green-Zach Russ, before Zii Jia rose to the occasion to secure a winning start for Malaysia.

Five-time champions Malaysia will play Finland on April 27 before concluding their Group B campaign against 2014 champions Japan on April 29.