By Matt Prior England wicket-keeper

It's been almost two months now since I broke my thumb while on World Twenty20 duty with England, and I have to say I am absolutely itching to get back playing.

To be named in an England squad is the most awesome feeling - and it never goes away - so to receive the call for the Test tour to Sri Lanka was a great boost.

I've only ever wanted to please my coach, captain and team-mates and to know I have that backing with England is brilliant Matt Prior

I've had a full six weeks off while my thumb has healed and it's meant I watched the guys on TV like everyone else as they secured an historic one-day series win in Sri Lanka.

That was very hard for me, I didn't enjoy it at all. I just wanted to be out there with the lads, competing and winning with them.

But that wasn't to be and I have to say I've found the time I spent away from the game incredibly useful.

And now I'm back, fully refreshed and utterly focused on what should be a great series.

I've only ever wanted to please my coach, captain and team-mates and to know I have that backing with England is brilliant.

We all got back together for a training camp at Loughborough last week and I was so impressed by the environment - everyone turned up wanting to work so hard, knowing exactly what they wanted to achieve from the sessions and what their role was.

It was very energetic and buoyant and it was utterly genuine. It was unbelievable to be honest and it only confirms these are exciting times for the England squad.

Of course, Phil Mustard is part of the set-up now but I do not need any reminding that whilst I may be in possession of the gloves now, there is still a hell of a lot of work to do.

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At the end of the day, it's performances that matter and the only currency that counts in this game is making runs and taking catches.

If I want to be England wicket-keeper, I have to be the very best wicket-keeper in the country, it's as simple as that.

Whether it's Phil putting pressure on me for the shirt or 15 players doing it, my job doesn't change - I have to put runs on the board, take my catches and be the very best wicket-keeper/batsman I can.

To that end, I see it as a real positive that Phil will be out on tour with me. He is a great bloke and we seemed to gel straight away in Loughborough and that bodes well for us getting the best out of each other.

Of course we're going for the same spot, but it's important we keep an eye out for each other, gee each other up and ensure that the healthy competition helps both of us to improve.

Phil Mustard made his debut in the one-day series in Sri Lanka

I've no doubt that, with the environment in the squad we have, everyone will be helping and pushing each other to ensure we get the best result we can.

Of course, it will be extremely hard to beat Sri Lanka on their own soil - we have nothing but respect for their team and they have some top-class cricketers.

The wickets and conditions will be unlike anything we experience in England or, say, Australia where the pitches are full of pace and you can expect to score at four an over through the day.

I expect the wickets will be slow and low and that means, above most other things, patience will be absolutely key.

It won't be unreasonable to expect to score 250 to 280 runs a day so concentration is key for batsmen and bowlers - though, with all the conditioning work we have done, the heat and things like that should not be a factor.

Another massive factor in the series will undoubtedly be spin - and that, of course, means Muttiah Muralitharan.

He is an unbelievable bowler but there are two ways of looking at it for me, be afraid or treat it as a challenge - and I'll definitely be doing the latter.

We certainly won't lack for preparation or motivation, so the hope is that we do ourselves justice Matt Prior

It's exciting to think I could be facing one of the game's best bowlers and what an opportunity it will be to test myself.

We've already had plenty of talks about how we will play Muttiah and the other bowlers. A lot of guys who have played with or against him have lent their view and I'm sure each of the guys will want to work him out and play him as they see fit.

All in all, we certainly won't lack for preparation or motivation, so the hope is that we do ourselves justice, hit our straps and we come away with a series victory

I just can't wait to get going.