Ravi Bopara struck a superb century on his return from injury to put himself back into England contention.

The Essex batsman hit an unbeaten 120 as the Eagles romped to a convincing eight-wicket win over the Gloucestershire Gladiators in CB40 action.

Bopara was set to feature for England in the current Test series against the West Indies but was replaced by Jonathan Bairstow when he suffered a leg injury during a County Championship match.

Following Kevin Pietersen's retirement from limited-overs cricket, Bopara also pushed his claim for a top-order spot in the ODI side with a better than run-a-ball ton.

The 27-year-old has made 72 ODI appearances for England since debuting against Australia in 2007.