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Shaun Graf

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Shaun Graf
Personal information
Full name
Shaun Francis Graf
Born (1957-05-19) 19 May 1957 (age 67)
Somerville, Victoria, Australia
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 62)23 November 1980 v New Zealand
Last ODI24 November 1981 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1979Wiltshire
1979/80–1982/83Victoria
1980Hampshire
1983Cornwall
1983/84Western Australia
1984/85Victoria
Career statistics
Competition ODI FC LA
Matches 11 55 41
Runs scored 24 1,559 300
Batting average 4.00 25.14 15.00
100s/50s 0/0 1/8 0/0
Top score 8 100* 37*
Balls bowled 522 9,220 2,033
Wickets 8 124 51
Bowling average 43.12 33.91 25.58
5 wickets in innings 0 1 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0
Best bowling 2/23 5/95 4/15
Catches/stumpings 1/– 30/– 7/–
Source: Cricinfo, 26 February 2013

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

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Early life and career

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Graf was born in 1957 in Somerville, Victoria, Australia. He was educated at St Bede's College,[1] 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.[2] In 1979, he played minor counties cricket in England for Wiltshire, making five appearances in the Minor Counties Championship.[3] Alongside playing minor counties cricket, he spent time in Bristol playing for Knowle.[4] 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.[5] He scored 135 runs in his debut first-class season,[6] in addition to taking 17 wickets at an average of 27.88.[7] 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.[8] He played in the final of the tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), taking 2 for 34 to help Victoria win the match.[9]

In December 1979, he joined Hampshire ahead of the 1980 season.[10] 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.[5] In these, he scored 284 runs at a batting average of 20.28,[11] in addition taking 20 wickets at an average of 44.45.[12] In one-day cricket, he made twelve appearances for Hampshire,[8] taking 17 wickets at an average of 18.23.[13]

International call-up

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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.[14] Later in the season, he scored his maiden first-class century against the same opponents at the MCG.[15] Across the season, he made eight first-class appearances,[5] scoring 286 runs at an average of 40.85;[6] with the ball he took 20 wickets at an average of 30.30.[6] 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.[16] 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".[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] He played in nine ODI matches during the series, which also featured India,[20] with Graf taking eight wickets in the series at an average of 31.87;[21] 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.[22] He was replaced in the second Test by Bruce Yardley.[23]

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.[24] During the 1981–82 domestic season, Graf made eight first-class appearances scoring 230 runs at an average of 19.16,[6] while with the ball he took 17 wickets at an average of 39.47.[7] In one-day cricket, he made three appearances in the 1981–82 McDonald's Cup.[8] The following season, he made six first-class appearances, scoring 155 runs at an average of 19.16,[6] whilst with the ball he took 14 wickets at an average of 30.50;[7] during the season playing against Western Australia at the 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.[25] He also played three one-day matches during the season.[8] Graf returned to England for the 1983 English summer, playing minor counties cricket for Cornwall.[26] He made eight appearances for Cornwall in the Minor Counties Championship,[3] whilst returning to Bristol to play club cricket for Knowle when he wasn't required by Cornwall.[27]

Move to Western Australia

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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.[28] In his only season with Western Australia, in which they won their ninth Sheffield Shield,[29] he made eleven first-class appearances, scoring 420 runs at an average of exactly 35.[6] With the ball, he took 32 wickets at an average of 32.75.[7] He also made four one-day appearances in the 1983-84 McDonald's Cup,[8] 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.[30] He returned to Victoria the following season, making one appearance in the 1984-85 Sheffield against Queensland.[5]

Described as an athletic all-rounder,[31] Graf made 55 first-class appearances, scoring 1,559 runs at an average of 25.14;[32] described by Christopher Martin-Jenkins as possessing a wristy action and able to consistently bowl away-swinging deliveries,[31] he took 124 first-class wickets at an average of 33.91.[32] 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.[32]

Later career

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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.[2] 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.[33] He retired from his role with Cricket Victoria in July 2022.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "The St Bede's College Old Collegians Cricket Hall of Champions". www.stbedes.catholic.edu.au. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "St Kilda Cricket Club". www.stumptostump.com. 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Cricket". Bristol Evening Post. 23 April 1979. p. 10. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ a b c d "First-Class Matches played by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "First-Class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "First-Class Bowling in Each Season by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e "List A Matches played by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Victoria v New South Wales, McDonald's Cup 1979/80 (Final)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Hampshire offer terms to Australian fast bowler". Grimsby Telegraph. 28 December 1979. p. 12. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  12. ^ "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  13. ^ "List A Bowling For Each Team by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Western Australia v Victoria, Sheffield Shield 1980/81". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Victoria v Western Australia, Sheffield Shield 1980/81". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Cricket - Graf named in Test team". The Canberra Times. 8 December 1980. p. 20. Retrieved 5 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Cricket - Graf could get chance". The Canberra Times. 6 December 1980. p. 50. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Graf to miss Test". The Canberra Times. 24 December 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Cricket - Walters, Chappell in one-day team". The Canberra Times. 18 November 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "ODI Matches played by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  21. ^ "ODI Bowling in Each Season by Shaun Graf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Cricket - Test drawn after NZ run chase falters". The Canberra Times. 31 December 1980. p. 20. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "Yardley a prospect for tour". The Canberra Times. 22 January 1981. p. 28. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Graf comes in to fill gap". The Canberra Times. 20 November 1981. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "Western Australia v Victoria, Sheffield Shield 1982/83". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  26. ^ "Shaun signs". West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. Truro. 5 May 1983. p. 33. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. ^ "Knowle". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 15 April 1983. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. ^ "SA Shield sponsor". The Canberra Times. 12 October 1983. p. 44. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via Trove.
  29. ^ "Queensland fails in final WA wins its ninth Shield". The Canberra Times. 14 March 1984. p. 44. Retrieved 11 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ^ "South Australia v Western Australia, McDonald's Cup 1983/84 (Final)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  31. ^ a b Martin-Jenkins, Christopher (1996). World Cricketers: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 40.
  32. ^ a b c "Player profile: Shaun Graf". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Shaun Graf to call stumps in 2022". www.cricketvictoria.com.au. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2024.

Further reading

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