BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Dwayne Bravo admitted that returning to the West Indies team from an ankle operation has been tough, but he was using his experience to cope.

The West Indies all-rounder was named Man-of-the-Match in the third one-day international against England yesterday at Kensington Oval, after he captured four wickets for 19 runs from seven overs to set up an eight-wicket victory for the home team.

It was Bravo's fourth match back in West Indies colours, following an operation on his right ankle last November which sidelined him for the best part of six months.

"My goal was to play first-class cricket before making my return, but when I realised that the Test series was coming to an end and that I would not be able to play much of that cricket, I tried to shift my focus away from the longer version and played a couple of limited-overs games for my club where I had some decent batting and bowling performances," said Bravo.

With very little serious cricket behind him, it was felt that the West Indies selectors were taking a risk by rushing Bravo back into the side.

"One-day cricket is very fast-paced and I know I can keep up with the pressure on my ankle," he said.

"Ten overs are not so hard and I started off with a Twenty20, but I knew once I took my time, it would not be as difficult as a four-day game. But my experience is carrying me through."

Bravo is finding it very easy fitting back into the set-up, after missing the Stanford Super Series, the tour of New Zealand and the Tests against England in the ensuing months.

He added that the most important thing is that the players were enjoying their cricket a lot more than in the past.

"Nothing much has changed, but the team has been playing well and the guys understand how important it is to win and to be consistent," he said.

"We have been on the losing side for a while now and we believe we are beginning to turn the corner. We are doing the simple things better.

"Chris has been leading the team well and the guys have his full support. John Dyson and the coaching staff have also been very good.

"The public has been coming out in their numbers and supporting us and that is very good, so we are just looking to continue winning and being the best team that we can possibly be."

To continue winning means that West Indies must capture tomorrow's match at the same venue to formalise a series victory, and Bravo believes the home team can take no chances.

"We can't afford to lapse or anything like this because the series is still very much open," he said. "We know England will do their homework and come at us hard on Sunday. We have our homework to do as well and try to improve for Sunday's game.

"The team has been playing very well throughout the series and we just believe in ourselves, and we just want to see everyone fit and ready to go for the challenge ahead of us over the next two games."