Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has cautioned against thinking West Indies batsman Chris Gayle is no longer a threat, saying the big-hitting Jamaican could destroy an attack even in his current slump.

Gayle has not passed a score of 35 in his past eight ODIs, and had a poor Big Bash League with the Sydney Thunder. But the Aussies are not going to allow the sleeping giant to wake, with Wade saying they need to get him early.

Wade said: "He's dangerous wherever you bowl to him. He's shown over a long period of time he can take any attack down. Every time you play against Chris Gayle, you're hoping to get him out early.

"It would be nice if we could do the same over these next five one-dayers. But he'll be looking to go pretty hard at us I would have thought. We've just got to execute our plans."

As for the rest of the Windies batting order, Wade was equally wary, saying: "They're really dangerous. They've got power hitters. They hit a lot more sixes than probably any other team."

The sides will contest five ODIs, the first two of which are being played in Perth on 1 and 3 February.