Root: No doubts in record run chase

Joe Root was happy to chalk up a record Champions Trophy run chase as just another step in England’s one-day improvement.

The Yorkshireman’s unbeaten 133 led England to 308-2 as they beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in their Group A opener at the Oval yesterday.

He was backed up by Alex Hales, with 95, and captain Eoin Morgan who contributed 75 to an unbroken third-wicket stand of 143.

Root said he never had any doubts England would chase their target, adding: “We’re a side that’s getting better at it.

“There’s a lot of confidence, we back each other’s ability, and that’s rubbing off on the team.

“It’s nice to know you’ve got players like Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler to come in behind you.

“It was just making sure we kept plenty of wickets in hand, and someone like Alex Hales is not going to score slowly if he bats for a long time.”

Rootwas clearly inconvenienced by what appeared at first to be an ankle twisted as he set off for a run, but he later described it as cramp in his calf.

“It’s all right – it looks like it’s just a bit of cramp,” he said.

“I must not have eaten well enough this morning. I don’t see it as too big an issue.”

Even so, the Yorkshireman again served England especially well with his 10th one-day international hundred.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza conceded that Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur’s dismissals to consecutive balls from Liam Plunkett in the 45th over proved highly significant – because a total of 330-plus appeared in the offing up until then.

“With eight batters, we are in a great position to score 330, 340,” he said.

“But we couldn’t. We lost too many wickets in the late order.

“After Tamim got out, then Mushfiqur, the next ball, that was the problem for us.

“I think we were 20 to 30 runs short, especially on that sort of wicket.”