Henriques hopes to bank on consistency on Test return

Allrounder Moises Henriques knows he is good enough for Test cricket, but he also knows that consistency is the key if he is to fulfil his ambition of a long career in the baggy green. In Sri Lanka, Henriques is soaking up the atmosphere of again being part of Australia's Test squad, the first time he has toured with the Test side in more than two years.

And while Mitchell Marsh is the established allrounder in Australia's Test team, there is a chance Henriques could play on the tour depending on the balance of the attack Australia's selectors decide to use. Although Henriques has not played a first-class match since November - his season was ended by a calf injury suffered in the BBL - the selectors took a punt on him for the Sri Lanka tour.

Henriques played his only three Tests on Australia's most recent Test tour of South Asia, in India in 2013, and his batting on debut hinted at a Test-match temperament. Henriques used his long limbs to reach from the crease and negate India's spin threat in Chennai, his 68 and 81* making him the only Australian since 1980 to score 50-plus in both innings on debut.

However, Henriques failed to reach double figures in either of the Tests that followed, in Hyderabad and Mohali, and picked up only two wickets for the series on pitches that offered little for the pace bowlers. He was dropped for the final Test in Delhi and although he was part of the squad that toured South Africa a year later, he has not played a Test since that Indian series.

"I hope I've improved and I hope I've also learnt about how hard Test cricket is, in terms of backing up day after day, Test after Test," Henriques told reporters in Colombo on Tuesday. "You see the likes of Smithy and Davey, how they perform Test after Test and are able to bounce back and just be extremely consistent all the time.

"It's not just about one good performance or a couple of good performances. You've got to keep churning them and keep being as good as you can for as long as you can. After one good Test I felt like I'd displayed that I was good enough, but just not consistent enough. That's the biggest thing, is to do it over and over again. I certainly feel like I've improved as a cricketer and given the opportunity, I'd like to think I could do even better than I did then."

Although Henriques missed the second half of Australia's home season, he had plenty of time to get used to Asian conditions during the IPL, playing all 17 matches in Sunrisers Hyderabad's successful campaign. That was followed by a stint training on the special spinning pitch Cricket Australia has developed in Brisbane, and Henriques hopes that preparation will hold him in good stead.