Mike Procter, the legendary cricketer from South Africa, passed way on Saturday, February 17, as a result of complications following heart surgery. He was seventy-seven.
Procter was a legendary all-rounder in his playing days who amassed an incredible 21936 runs, 48 centuries, and 1417 wickets at 19.53 with 70 five-wicket hauls from 401 first-class matches.
Procter is regarded as one of the finest cricketers in South Africa, although his career was limited to just seven Test match appearances—all against Australia—due to South Africa’s sporting isolation in the 1970s and 1980s.
However, Procter grabbed 41 wickets at an average of 15.02 from those seven games in a masterful exhibition of seam bowling off the “wrong foot.” In the second of his two series against Australia, he averaged 34.83 at bat.
Procter saved his best for Gloucestershire, where he enjoyed 13 years of remarkable success as an overseas player. In 1969, the struggling county fell to second place as Procter claimed over 100 wickets.
Procter had a great impact with the bat when he was in form, as seen by his record-breaking six straight centuries for Rhodesia in first-class cricket in 1970 and his four first-class tonnes for Gloucestershire in 1971.
In 1970, Wisden named him one of the five cricketers of the year. In 1979, he once again made history by scoring two hat-tricks in a single game while playing for Gloucestershire. He captained the team to the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1977 and commanded the squad from 1977 until 1981. His county’s moniker, Proctershire, was a clear indication of his popularity.
Following his playing career, Procter entered the contentious field of match refereeing. When Pakistan was penalised by the umpires for tampering with the ball, they forfeited the Test, and he was the referee at the Oval in 2006.
When he officiated in Sydney in 2008, he suspended Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for three matches due to allegations of racism. However, that decision was later reversed. 2008 saw him relinquish his position and take on the role of convener of selectors for South Africa. Procter is survived by two daughters and wife Maryne.
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