After progressing through Scotland’s age group cricket, Coetzer made his senior debut for the national team in 2003. His official introduction to one-day international cricket occurred in 2008 when he faced England. Coetzer has established himself as one of Scotland’s most accomplished batsmen, featuring in 16 ODIs and amassing over 700 runs. A standout moment in Coetzer’s career was his dynamic 133-run performance against Afghanistan in March 2013. Additionally, he emerged as Scotland’s leading run-scorer during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. Coetzer assumed the role of Scotland’s captain in 2013, but the leadership was temporarily taken over by Preston Mommsen when Coetzer suffered an injury during Scotland’s qualifying campaign for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. In December 2014, he was appointed as the vice-captain of Scotland’s World Cup squad.