Shield game, against WA, he scored 34 and 64 and took four wickets. He leapt into international consideration in another game against WA, scoring 100 not out and taking 3–24. In one day games he took 2–6 against Queensland. Australia was looking for an all rounder and these efforts saw Graf named in the Test team for the second Test against the touring New Zealand. Graf wound up as 12th man though and did not play. He was however selected to make his ODI debut in November 1980 against New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval. "If we have a deficiency at the moment, it is possibly that we lack a true all-rounder", said Australian captain Greg Chappell 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". Graf made a duck and took 1/40 in the match. He was kept on in the side for the next game, against New Zealand, taking 2–40. Against India he took 0–30 and scored 5. He took 0–15 against New Zealand and 2–23 against India. Graf was dropped from the Australian Test team for the third Test against New Zealand due to a back injury, which saw him miss a Shield game; he was replaced by Trevor Chappell, who played as 12th man. Graf passed a fitness test and replaced Chappell for the first Test against India; however Graf was made 12th man again. He was replaced in the next test by Bruce Yardley. In one day cricket Graf took 0–31 against India, 2–40 and 7 in a thrilling one run loss to New Zealand, scored 2 and took 1–36 against India and scored 2 against New Zealand. Graf 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. Towards the end of the summer he was dropped in favour of Graeme Beard. Towards the end of the season, Graf took six wickets and scored 51 in a game against Queensland and 3–40 in a