Opener Travis Head must bide his time before he can cement his place in Australia’s one-day squad, coach Andrew McDonald said ahead of their five-match series against Sri Lanka beginning on Tuesday. With David Warner skipping the one-day series in Pakistan earlier this year, Head partnered skipper Aaron Finch at the top order and was their second highest run-scorer with a century and a fifty in three innings.

The left-hander smashed a breezy hundred for Australia A in Sri Lanka but McDonald said Warner's return meant Head must wait for his turn which may come in the later stage of the ODI series.

“He just has to bide his time at the moment,” McDonald told reporters on Sunday.

“We see it as an opportunity for him to get some really good match opportunities within that A Game building into the Test series. That’s equally important as well, his exposure to the subcontinent conditions.”

Australia won the T20 series against Sri Lanka 2-1. Lanka won the last game to avoid a whitewash as Dasun Shanaka hit a scintillating half-century. Chasing 177 for a consolation win, Sri Lanka were in the doldrums at 108/6 in the 16th over of their innings in Kandy.

Shanaka then exploded with the bat. The hosts needed 19 runs off the last over from Kane Richardson, who buckled under the pressure. Shanaka’s unbeaten 54 came off 25 balls and included four sixes and five fours.