Ashley Giles is happy to stay out of the limelight and allow England's pace-setters to enjoy the attention in the forthcoming Test series against West Indies.

While the media spotlight has been trained firmly on England's five-strong pace battery of Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, left-arm spinner Giles has almost been unnoticed in becoming the tourists' leading wicket-taker in their two warm-up matches.

His 10-wicket return from the two matches suggest that far from playing a supportive role during the four-Test series, which begins at Sabina Park tomorrow, Giles could have a major part to play on West Indian wickets which are no longer the pacy and bouncy pitches upon which their stable of legendary fast bowlers used to terrorise opposition.

For the time being, however, he is happy to remain in the background and allow his seam bowling colleagues to take all the attention while he quietly prepares for a reunion with Brian Lara, his former captain at Warwickshire.

''When you come out here all the attention is on our quick bowlers and what they're going to do and I've been able to settle in and get on with it,'' admitted Giles.

''I believe I've bowled pretty well in practice, but I can make improvements.

''It's taken the pressure off a little bit. Going to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was all about how I was going to play a part and the battle between myself and Gareth Batty or me and Gareth together.

''Every morning I see one of the big guys like Jones or Harmison talking to the press and that's what the focus is on so I can just get on with my work, but at the same time I'm not going to think it's over to those guys - I think I've got a role to play here and it's important that I'm on the ball to do that.''

He is experienced enough now, though, to expect a traditional West Indies welcome from their top order, whose natural inclination is to attack the spinners in a similar way to the manner in which Australian pair Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist went on the offensive against him last winter.

Having weathered that storm, he is more than prepared for the big-hitting of Lara and Chris Gayle during the coming months when he will be chasing the 17 wickets he requires to complete 100 Test victims.

''It's going to be quite entertaining at times for me because even in the warm-up games when they looked pretty average against spin, suddenly they will come down the wicket and hit you for six and that's the way it could go,'' he conceded.

''If they are doing that, though, it gives you more options to take wickets.

''It's going to be tough because the likelihood is that they're all going to come at me and play positive shots, but I enjoy that.

"I enjoy bowling to Hayden and Gilchrist because it keeps you on your toes and makes you think about what you're doing more when you know there's a good chance that someone is going to try and hit you outside the ground.''

Giles would accept that he would have to repeat the recent series in Sri Lanka - when he claimed 17 victims in three Tests - to reach 100 Test wickets.

''I don't think I'm going to get there but I'm nearing the 100-wicket mark in Test cricket and that's one of the goals I've set myself,'' he added. ''Whether I'll get there in these four Tests I don't know, but I'll be well chuffed if I got there in this series.

''On the back of Sri Lanka I want to carry on the work I've done. I feel I've made progress and I want to carry on moving in the right direction rather than go back mentally and physically where I was in Bangladesh.''

Middlesex captain Andrew Strauss trained with the squad for the first time at Sabina Park but is expected to have simply a watching brief after being called up as cover following injuries to Graham Thorpe and Mark Butcher.

Thorpe appears to have recovered from the back strain which limited his involvement in the field during the opening day of England's innings victory over the Vice Chancellor's XI while Butcher, who sprained his left ankle ligaments last Tuesday, is almost certain to be passed fit after making good progress over the last few days.

That would leave England with one remaining selection dilemma - faith with Matthew Hoggard or take a gamble on James Anderson.