Faf du Plessis says England under pressure in World Twenty20 clash

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is hoping England will be feeling the pressure when they clash in the World Twenty20 on Friday.

West Indies opener Chris Gayle single-handedly dismantled England with a brutal century on Wednesday, Eoin Morgan's men losing their opening match by six wickets.

Defeat to the Proteas, who won five straight limited-overs matches against England earlier this year, would leave England on the brink of elimination from the tournament.

"If we put England under pressure we're hoping they'll almost fall back on that mentality of losing games and not being confident," said Du Plessis.

"If we were in their shoes and we'd lost that first game we would feel pressure going into the second game knowing if we lose we'd possibly be out.

"They'll obviously be under pressure. As a team you definitely feel the heat in that moment. It's such a short tournament you have to hit the ground running."

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And having watched Gayle, who upgraded himself from 'world boss' to 'universe boss' in his post-match interviews, smash 11 sixes on his way to a 47-ball 100no, England must now prepare to face AB de Villiers.

He may not have the T20 stats to rival Gayle but the 32-year-old is one of the world's most feared batsmen and struck 71 in 42 balls against England in Johannesburg a month ago.

Asked to compare De Villiers with Gayle, Du Plessis said: "They are two completely different players but they both need the same things to succeed.

"You never see Chris go from ball one and just start smashing. He definitely sets himself up first and that's the same with AB, he plays best when he assesses conditions and sees what the bowlers are about.

"When he gets that sniff he becomes really hard to bowl at."