DURHAM have been dealt a devastating blow with the news that skipper Mike Hussey will not be available for the coming season.

Following his elevation to established member of both the Test and one-day team, the Australian Board have declined to make him available.

South African Dale Benkenstein will take over as Durham captain and Hussey will be replaced by Jimmy Maher, who yesterday made his highest first-class score of 223 in the Pura Cup final.

Maher spent the final three weeks of last season with Durham after Hussey departed for the Australia A tour to Pakistan. The Queensland left-hander made only 18 runs in four championship innings, but impressed in the totesport League match against Kent at Riverside with an innings of 70.

Until yesterday's effort his highest first-class score was 217 for Glamorgan in 2001, and despite his lack of success last September Durham are happy to have him back.

Choice has become very limited with every other major Test-playing country bar Australia having commitments this summer.

It was hoped that Hussey would be available for the full season once Australia's one-day series in Bangladesh was completed at the end of April.

But the board have become very protective of their Test players and Durham are not the only ones to suffer with Glamorgan searching for a replacement for Michael Kasprowicz, while it is believed that left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken has had to pull out of his contract with Worcestershire.

Durham are still waiting to hear whether their other overseas man, Victoria seamer Mick Lewis, is required for Australia's trip to Bangladesh. He is also playing in the Pura Cup final and removed Maher to claim his only wicket as Queensland piled up 584 for three in reply to 344.

Brad Hodge made 108 for Victoria, while another ex-Durham man, Martin Love, hit 169 and put on 297 with Maher.

Benkenstein, who captained Natal for eight years, led Durham for six weeks in mid-season last year when Hussey and Paul Collingwood were on one-day international duty.

Collingwood is still Durham's vice-captain but following his success in India he could be on England duty for most of a busy summer of international cricket.

Hussey tried in vain to persuade the Australian Board to allow him to come for the second half of the season.

After leading Durham to promotion in both the four-day and one-day game last year, he was keen to help them become established in the top-flight.

Starting with his innings of 253 in the first match at Leicester, Hussey made 1,074 runs in ten championship matches for Durham at an average of 76.71.

Durham signed him in the hope that at the age of 30 a Test career had passed him by, but injuries and the Ashes defeat opened the door for him and he has proved just as big a revelation as he was at Chester-le-Street.

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