Windies star batsman Chris Gayle believes the upcoming one-day international against England will provide the perfect opportunity for the struggling team to lift some of the pressure off their shoulders.

The player, however, admitted that he has been impressed with the effort of the Darren Sammy-led and Ottis Gibson-coached team during his one-year absence from the sidelines, despite falling short on a number of occasions.

"When you look at the Test series even though we have lost, we competed. We struggle in the longer format of the game but that has been happening for the last couple of years," Gayle told members following a warm-up match against Middlesex, England, yesterday.

"In the shorter version of the game we get our chances, the Australia series was drawn 2-2 and we should have won that series but here we have the perfect opportunity to take some of the pressure off the team."

Gayle spent the last couple of months out of action for the West Indies after being embroiled in a dispute with the WICB, but with the issue now resolved he is looking forward to once again making his mark for the regional team.

Against Middlesex, his first match in West Indies colours in 14 months, Gayle got a good start but did not carry on, as the West Indies crushed their opponents, in a typically aggressive 34.

"It's good to be back in my number 45 representing the West Indies. It was my first hit today and I started out a bit nervous but things came together eventually, it unfortunate I got out," Gayle said.

"I want to contribute more with the bat, hopefully get a few more centuries for the West Indies as well, but the most important thing is to get a couple of series wins. The pressure is always on, even when I was outside I was still a part of it."

With only a few days to go before the start of the ODIs, however, it was batsmen Dwayne Bravo, who struggled during the Test series and Dwayne Smith who made the biggest contributions with the bat.

Bravo spanked a run-a-ball 112 and Smith unleashed an explosive 96 to propel the tourists to a massive 225-run victory, a welcome result ahead of the three-match series starting on Saturday in Southampton. With the addition of Gayle, Smith and Pollard the West Indies are expected to have a powerful batting line-up to face the English, but the batman believes it is important for the team to bat with intelligence.