Shaun Graf
Encyclopedia
Shaun Francis Graf was an Australian
cricketer who played 11 One Day Internationals for Australia in the early 1980s as an allrounder. He represented Western Australia
as well as his native Victoria
in the Sheffield Shield and also played county cricket for Hampshire
.
Educated at St Bede's College
, Graf made his grade debut at the age of 19 for St Kilda
as an all-rounder, bowling right-arm medium fast and batting left-handed with an emphasis on driving. He made his first-class debut in 1979–80 for Victoria, and helped them to win the Sheffield Shield. His performances lead to a contract in 1980 with the Hampshire County Cricket Club
, and was named as 12th man in two Test matches in 1980–81.
Graf was selected to make his ODI debut in November 1980 against New Zealand
at the Adelaide Oval
in which he made a duck and took 1/40. He played in nine of Australia's ten group matches in that season's triangular ODI tournament, but was omitted from the team for the finals series after scoring just 16 runs at an average of 3.20 with a top score of 7 despite being picked as an all-rounder batting at number seven or eight. He did manage to take eight wickets at 31.88 in the series, with three two wicket hauls.
He was not selected for the 1981 tour to England, but returned in the following Australian summer in the second and third matches of the series. He made his top score of 8 against Pakistan
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, but after failing to take a wicket in that match, he conceded an expensive 56 runs in nine overs without success against the West Indies in the following match, and was dropped.
In 1983–84 he moved to Western Australia
for one year, and was part of the winning Sheffield Shield team. He returned to Victoria the following season before retiring. In all, he played 55 matches, scoring 1,559 runs at an average of 25.14 with one century, and claimed 124 wickets at an average of 33.91 with a best bowling of 5/95. In Limited Overs matches, he averaged 25.22 with the bat and 25 with the ball. He became a Victorian selector in 1990–91 and became the cricket operations manager of the Victorian Cricket Association in 1995.
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
cricketer who played 11 One Day Internationals for Australia in the early 1980s as an allrounder. He represented Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
as well as his native Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
in the Sheffield Shield and also played county cricket for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
.
Educated at St Bede's College
St Bede's College (Mentone)
St Bede's College is a Roman Catholic, secondary school for boys, located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia.Founded in 1938, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers and named after St. Bede the Venerable, a Benedictine monk and priest who spent his life teaching and writing in the...
, Graf made his grade debut at the age of 19 for St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
as an all-rounder, bowling right-arm medium fast and batting left-handed with an emphasis on driving. He made his first-class debut in 1979–80 for Victoria, and helped them to win the Sheffield Shield. His performances lead to a contract in 1980 with the Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, and was named as 12th man in two Test matches in 1980–81.
Graf was selected to make his ODI debut in November 1980 against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
in which he made a duck and took 1/40. He played in nine of Australia's ten group matches in that season's triangular ODI tournament, but was omitted from the team for the finals series after scoring just 16 runs at an average of 3.20 with a top score of 7 despite being picked as an all-rounder batting at number seven or eight. He did manage to take eight wickets at 31.88 in the series, with three two wicket hauls.
He was not selected for the 1981 tour to England, but returned in the following Australian summer in the second and third matches of the series. He made his top score of 8 against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, but after failing to take a wicket in that match, he conceded an expensive 56 runs in nine overs without success against the West Indies in the following match, and was dropped.
In 1983–84 he moved to Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
for one year, and was part of the winning Sheffield Shield team. He returned to Victoria the following season before retiring. In all, he played 55 matches, scoring 1,559 runs at an average of 25.14 with one century, and claimed 124 wickets at an average of 33.91 with a best bowling of 5/95. In Limited Overs matches, he averaged 25.22 with the bat and 25 with the ball. He became a Victorian selector in 1990–91 and became the cricket operations manager of the Victorian Cricket Association in 1995.