“It will be the same for the guys who are coming into bowl. This is a great opportunity for us and it’s up to us whether we take it or not.”

Coetzer has played plenty of one-day cricket for Durham in the last couple of months and also starred for Scotland in their short Twenty20 World Cup campaign. But, while some in cricket are claiming players like him should look to concentrate on potentially lucrative Twenty20 contracts, Coetzer is unconvinced by that argument.

He said: “The way the game is set up now, it is changing. We are playing more and more Twenty20 cricket and it’s something I enjoy. I really enjoyed the World Cup experience and there is another one just around the corner. I think I’ve only played against the white ball this season and it’s been fun.

“But you learn your skills in four-day cricket and it’s about honing them for the shorter version. The Championship remains the true test of your ability and that’s where I want to prove myself again.”

And, while Harmison and Onions will be battling against the Aussies – and each other – for a place in the England team for the First Ashes Test on July 8, Coetzer remains confident Durham will keep their title push moving in the right direction at the Riverside.

He said: “We’re confident we’ll do well without them. We have a lot of strength in depth at Durham and if we keep doing the things we have been doing as a team, the bowlers hitting the right areas and the batsmen being patient, we’ll do well against Worcestershire.”

DURHAM SQUAD v WORCESTERSHIRE (home): K Coetzer, M Di Venuto, W Smith, GJ Muchall, D Benkenstein, I Blackwell, P Mustard, B Harmsion, L Plunkett, C Thorp, M Davies, M Claydon.