The mountainous city of Chiang Mai seemed worlds away as Natthakan Chantham walked through the tunnel at the WACA to make her Twenty20 World Cup debut.
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She's gone from batting on a slow, makeshift wicket to hitting fours in one of world's best cricket grounds. But if playing in front of thousands of fans isn't surreal enough, it's nothing compared to the challenge Thailand face in Canberra.
The Thailand national team will meet world No.2 England at Manuka Oval on Wednesday, in what will be the biggest match of their World Cup campaign.
England are fighting for a spot in the semi-finals after losing their opening match to South Africa. They're eager to make a statement against the minnow nation, but Chantham will be quick to tell you Thailand isn't here to simply make up the numbers.
Competing against the world's best cricketers is a dream come true for the opening batter, who was part of Thailand's first team 12 years ago.
They've since risen to No.11 on the International Cricket Council's rankings and their World Cup berth came after winning a record-setting 17 consecutive games last year.
Thailand bowed to each corner of the WACA ground following their seven-wicket loss to West Indies, grateful for the opportunity to announce themselves on the international stage.
"Just the massive scale of this tournament, how it's packaged and organised. I've never seen anything like it and we're happy to be involved with it," Chantham said.
"It was a really great experience coming into the WACA. The wicket had a good bounce and pace, where the pitches back at home are just low and slow. It was good to get out there and have a hit."
Thailand were restricted to a modest 78 for nine off their 20 overs, with Chantham managing just nine runs on her World Cup debut.
She's eager to bounce back and put England to the test at Manuka Oval, which is widely regarded as a batters' paradise.
But Chantham is no stranger to the flat deck, with Thailand having played a practice match against the ACT Meteors at the venue last year.
"With the bat, I feel like I didn't do too well. I want to put more runs on the board so the bowlers have a decent score to work with," Chantham said.
"It's the first time we're playing against England, so we've studied their videos and are coming up with plans.
"They're impressive with the bat. They field very strongly and powerfully on the boundary, as well as inside the circle."
England were shocked by world No.6 South Africa by six wickets with two balls to spare on Sunday.
All but Natalie Sciver failed to fire with the bat, who posted 50-runs before being bowled by Ayabonga Khaka.
The tail collapsed and struggled to reach double-digits, leaving England determined to turn their batting form around on the flat Manuka deck.
"It's a big game for us, every game is a must win from this point in," captain Heather Knight said.
"They're going to try and beat us and compete, so I think it's really important to put in a strong performance and come out fighting.
"This team has showed a history of that. When we've had a bad performance, the way we've bounced back in the next game has been amazing.
"We're going to have to problem solve a little bit and do our research. The main thing is the bat and ball, you do the same skills but it's just reacting to what's out there.
"Making sure we back ourselves, stay positive and in this World Cup, you don't have time to be fearful. We just have to go out there, get ride of any doubts in our minds, play with freedom and be brave."
T20 WORLD CUP
Fixtures at Manuka Oval:
- Wednesday: England v Thailand, 3pm; West Indies v Pakistan, 7pm.
- Thursday: Australia v Bangladesh, 7pm.
- Friday: South Africa v Thailand, 3pm; England v Pakistan, 7pm.