# Shaun Graf

Shaun Francis Graf (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian former international cricketer who played eleven One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia in the early 1980s as a bowling all-rounder. He represented played his domestic cricket at first-class level predominantly for Victoria, but also played a season for Western Australia. Graf also played domestically in England, at first-class level for Hampshire and at minor counties level for Wiltshire and Cornwall. He later became a prominent administrator with Cricket Victoria.

## Cricket career
### Early life and career

Graf was born in 1957 in Somerville, Victoria, Australia. He was educated at St Bede's College, He made his grade debut at the age of 19 for St Kilda Cricket Club as a fast bowling all-rounder in the 1976–77 season. In 1979, he played minor counties cricket in England for Wiltshire, making five appearances in the Minor Counties Championship. Alongside playing minor counties cricket, he spent time in Bristol playing for Knowle. Returning to Australia after his minor counties stint, Graf made his debut in first-class cricket for Victoria against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the 1979–80 Sheffield Shield, with him playing a further five Shield matches that season. He scored 135 runs in his debut first-class season, in addition to taking 17 wickets at an average of 27.88. He debuted in the same season in List A one-day cricket for Victoria, making four appearances in the 1979–80 McDonald's Cup, making four appearances. He played in the final of the tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), taking 2 for 34 to help Victoria win the match.
In December 1979, he joined Hampshire ahead of the 1980 season. He made his debut for Hampshire in a 1980 County Championship fixture against Warwickshire at Southampton. Graf made fifteen first-class appearances in 1980, including against the touring Australians. In these, he scored 284 runs at a batting average of 20.28, in addition taking 20 wickets at an average of 44.45. In one-day cricket, he made twelve appearances for Hampshire, taking 17 wickets at an average of 18.23.

### International call-up

Graf's first-class form was better in the Australian 1980–81 season. In his first Sheffield Shield game of the season, against Western Australia, he scored 34 and 64 and took four wickets. Later in the season, he scored his maiden first-class century against the same opponents at the MCG. Across the season, he made eight first-class appearances, scoring 286 runs at an average of 40.85; with the ball he took 20 wickets at an average of 30.30. His Shield form led to Graf being selected in the Australia squad for the second Test match of their home series against New Zealand, at a time when the Australian selectors were seeking an all-rounder. Commenting on Australia lacking a true all-rounder, Australia captain Greg Chappell said at the time: "Shaun Graf is an up-and-comer in this area and he is possibly what Australia needs – not only in one day cricket but in Test matches as well". Although he did not end up playing in the Test series, with a back injury ruling him out, which saw Trevor Chappell replace him in the side for the third Test. He did make his One Day International (ODI) debut against New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in the first match of the Australia Tri-Nation Series which followed. He played in nine ODI matches during the series, which also featured India, with Graf taking eight wickets in the series at an average of 31.87; he was omitted from the four-match final against New Zealand. Alongside the ODI series, Australia played India in a Test series, with Graf replacing Trevor Chappell in the squad for the first Test, but did not play. He was replaced in the second Test by Bruce Yardley.
The following season, he made two further ODI appearances in the second and third matches of the Tri-Nation Series against Pakistan and the West Indies, having been called-up to replace the injured Dennis Lillee. During the 1981–82 domestic season, Graf made eight first-class appearances scoring 230 runs at an average of 19.16, while with the ball he took 17 wickets at an average of 39.47. In one-day cricket, he made three appearances in the 1981–82 McDonald's Cup. The following season, he made six first-class appearances, scoring 155 runs at an average of 19.16, whilst with the ball he took 14 wickets at an average of 30.50; during the season playing against Western Australia at The WACA, he took the only five wicket haul of his first-class career with figures of 5 for 95 in the Western Australia second innings, having taken 4 for 53 in their first innings. He also played three one-day matches during the season. Graf returned to England for the 1983 English summer, playing minor counties cricket for Cornwall. He made eight appearances for Cornwall in the Minor Counties Championship, whilst returning to Bristol to play club cricket for Knowle when he wasn't required by Cornwall.

### Move to Western Australia

In 1983–84 he moved to Western Australia for one year, being selected to play in the 1983-84 Sheffield Shield match against Victoria as a replacement for injured batsman Wayne Andrews. In his only season with Western Australia, in which they won their ninth Sheffield Shield, he made eleven first-class appearances, scoring 420 runs at an average of exactly 35. With the ball, he took 32 wickets at an average of 32.75. He also made four one-day appearances in the 1983-84 McDonald's Cup, with Graf playing against South Australia in the final of the competition at the Adelaide Oval. He came close to guiding Western Australia to victory, with a late unbeaten cameo of 37 runs from 33 ball, but Western Australia ultimately fell eight runs short. He returned to Victoria the following season, making one appearance in the 1984-85 Sheffield against Queensland.
Described as an athletic all-rounder, Graf made 55 first-class appearances, scoring 1,559 runs at an average of 25.14; described by Christopher Martin-Jenkins as possessing a wristy action and able to consistently bowl away-swinging deliveries, he took 124 first-class wickets at an average of 33.91. In one-day cricket, he made 41 appearances, scoring 300 runs at an average of exactly 15, whilst with the ball he took 51 wickets at an average of 25.58.

### Later career

After retiring, Graf continued to play Grade Cricket for St Kilda until 1999, making 243 appearances for the club across 24 seasons, whilst scoring 4,200 runs and taking 382 wickets. He became a selector for the Victoria cricket team during the 1990–91 season, and became the cricket operations manager of the Victorian Cricket Association (later Cricket Victoria) in 1995. He retired from his role with Cricket Victoria in July 2022.