Ashley Jackson struck for England as they claimed a 2-0 win over Malaysia in the Rabobank World Cup.

Chatham-born Jackson fired home in the second half to double the lead following Mark Gleghorne’s early strike.

Holcombe defender Iain Lewers returned to the side to make his World Cup debut, having missed the opening two games with a dead-leg.

Victory puts England on course for the semi-finals but they still have tough games against Australia and Belgium to play.

England, with attacking midfield duo of Holcombe's Barry Middleton and Jackson, helped produce a number of chances in the first half but the score remained 1-0 at the break.

Malaysia’s defence kept England out until Jackson’s stunning drag-flick secured the win. The England number seven is still playing despite suffering from a shoulder strain.

England face Australia on Saturday and Belgium on Monday, as they chase a semi-final place.

Captain Middleton said: “We’ve played them [Australia and Belgium] enough over the past 18 months to know what is going to come at us, and they probably know what to expect from us as well.

“It’ll come down to whether we can play our game the way we want to and put our chances away.

“We’ve proved against them in the last twelve months we can hurt them if we play well and we’ll be looking to do that in our next two games.”

Lewers played 25 minutes after coming off the bench, while fellow Holcombe players Dan Fox and goalie George Pinner also started for England.