LONDON: Joe Root`s ton has taken England near to their 306-runs target against Bangladesh. 

The hosting team now need less than 100 runs to win the Champions trophy`s opening match. 

Earlier, Alex Hales missed his century by five runs after giving an easy catch to Sunzamul Islam.  

However, innings from Hales and Joe Root put England in a strong position against Bangladesh in the chase of 306 runs in the opening match of the 2017 Champions Trophy at the Oval on Thursday. 

England suffered an early loss as Mustafizur Rahman took an exceptional catch of Jason Roy on the bowl of Mashrafe Mortaza.

Earlier, Tamim Iqbal´s superb hundred helped take Bangladesh to 305 for six against England.

The left-hander received excellent support from Mushfiqur Rahim (79) in a third-wicket partnership of 166.

That was Bangladesh´s highest stand in a one-day international outside of Asia, surpassing the 141 put on by Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah when the Tigers knocked England out of the 2015 World Cup with a dramatic 15-run win in Adelaide.

Both batsmen, however, fell in successive balls from fast bowler Liam Plunkett to leave Bangladesh 261 for four in the 45th over.

Fast bowler Plunkett led England´s attack with four for 59 from his maximum 10 overs after Chris Woakes went off after bowling just two overs because of a left side strain.

England, who came into this tournament featuring the world´s top eight ODI sides as one of the favourites after making huge strides in white-ball cricket in the last two years, were given plenty to think about after skipper Eoin Morgan opted to field despite sunny skies promising good batting conditions.

Tamim´s fellow left-handed opener Soumya Sarkar should have been out for 11 when he turned Jake Ball off his pads only for Moeen Ali to drop a two-handed catch at square leg.

But all-rounder Ben Stokes, who had been struggling for bowling fitness because of a knee injury, made the breakthrough with the last ball of his first over when Sarkar, on 38, uppercut him straight to substitute Jonny Bairstow at deep cover.

Imrul Kayes (19) fell when a miscued drive off Plunkett was well caught by a diving Mark Wood at mid-on to leave Bangladesh 95 for two in the 20th over.

That was the cue for Tamim and the diminutive Mushfiqur to take charge.

An increasingly frustrated Stokes exchanged words with Tamim and the all-rounder mockingly patted him on the shoulder at the end of the 32nd over.

Tamim was unimpressed and umpires Rod Tucker and S Ravi intervened to calm tempers.

Mushfiqur then punished Ball for dropping short by cutting him to the third man boundary. He went to a 48-ball fifty by driving part-time off-spinner Joe Root for four.

A single against off-spinner Ali saw Tamim reach his ninth ODI century in 124 balls. The 28-year-old then went down the pitch to drive Ali for a soaring straight six.

He was out when a skyed pull off Plunkett was held by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler.

The batsmen had crossed and next ball Mushfiqur carelessly holed out to long-off, with Bangladesh only managing a relatively modest 43 off the last five overs. 

England have been transformed since their dismal World Cup performance two years ago, with their power batting making them even more formidable in their own conditions.

But a determined Bangladesh, after an absence of more than 10 years, have made a welcome return to the Champions Trophy ranked sixth, above both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Both teams feature several survivors from Bangladesh´s 15-run shock win at Adelaide which condemned England to a woeful first-round exit from the last World Cup.

It was a result that led England to completely revamp their approach to the white-ball game.

?We´re getting better too?

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, although accepting England were a far better side than the one his team knocked out of the 2015 World Cup, insisted the Tigers had improved too ahead of their Champions Trophy opener.

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza during a press conference on the eve of Champions Trophy opener against England/AFP

 

"We just recently beat New Zealand in Ireland," Mortaza told reporters at The Oval on Wednesday.

It was some encouragement for Bangladesh after a 2016/17 tour of New Zealand where they were beaten in all formats.

"We couldn´t win any matches, but the thing is, we played really good cricket," said Mortaza. "It´s just we couldn´t finish well, that´s it."

Mortaza, also Bangladesh´s captain in Adelaide, played down the significance of that result by telling reporters at the Oval on Wednesday: "Look, it was a long time back. And after then, England is a totally different team. The way they are playing, if you look at the last two years, their performance, they win almost everything. And especially at home, they are a serious side."

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"But we know that we are also a better side; that we are a very improving side,? he added.

?We have some exciting youngsters like Mustafizur and Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, those players are also in our side."

Bangladesh were shot out for 84 by Champions Trophy title-holders India at The Oval on Tuesday in a crushing warm-up defeat.

The long wait

England captain Eoin Morgan will hope to lift the trophy in two-and-a-half weeks/Getty Images 

England´s only global one-day title came at the World Twenty20 in 2010 and they lost the 2013 Champions Trophy final to India at Edgbaston in a game reduced to 20 overs per side.

With a powerful batting lineup, including pugnacious openers Jason Roy and Alex Hales, Test captain Joe Root, Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, England usually score their runs rapidly.

The hosts, however, faced a hiccup when they lost spectacularly against South Africa in the third and final ODI of the recently-concluded series, slumping to 20 for six in tough conditions on the way to defeat at Lord´s.

"It´s a lesson with the bat and ball - our bowlers to be disciplined and to our batsman that, sometimes, you have to sit in," Morgan said.

Playing XI

England

Bangladesh

With additional input from AFP