Former South African all-rounder and coach Mike Procter passed away at 77. His wife Maryne confirmed the news to the press on Saturday, stating complications to heart surgery as the cause. He was a great all-rounder of his time and was also named as one of Wisden’s cricketers of the year in 1970. He was famously known for a chest-on action and used to release the ball early on during his delivery stride.
Mike Procter has played seven Test matches in his career, all of which came against Australia. He was South Africa’s hero during the 4-0 whitewash of Australia in 1969-70. He has taken 41 wickets in Test cricket at an impressive average of 15.02 and also scored key runs during the Test series against Australia. Mike Procter was South Africa’s coach in 1992 and under his guidance, South Africa reached the semi-finals of the World Cup that year. He also served as an ICC match referee from 2002 to 2008 and then he went on to become South Africa’s convener of selectors
Mike Procter was involved in some controversies during his tenure as an ICC match referee. He was the referee at the Oval in 2006 when the umpires penalized Pakistan players for ball tampering. Procter banned Harbhajan Singh for three matches in Sydney in 2008 on charges of racism. The decision was overturned later and he stepped down from the post in 2008 to become South Africa’s convener of selectors.
Mike Procter did not play much international cricket because of South Africa’s sporting isolation in the 1970s and 1980s. When they returned in 1992, he was appointed as the coach of the side and the Proteas went on to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals in their first-ever appearance in the tournament. However, his county records are brilliant and he served Gloucestershire for around 13 years.
Mike Procter was also known as Proctershire
Mike Procter was fondly nicknamed Proctershire by the fans as his best performances mostly came for the county side. Gloucestershire was struggling in 1969 but with the arrival of Mike Procter, they finished second as he took over 100 wickets. He has also had a terrific record with the bat as he scored six consecutive centuries for Rhodesia in 1970 and also four centuries for Gloucestershire in the same season. Procter took two hat-tricks in two games for the side in 1979 and led the side between 1977 to 1981.
Under his leadership, Gloucestershire won the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1977. Mike Procter was born on September 15, 1946, in Durban. He has played over 400 games in First-Class cricket and has amassed 21,936 runs at an average of 36.01 which includes 48 centuries and 109 half-centuries. Mike Procter had also taken 1417 wickets in First-class cricket at an average of 19.53 and his stats show his prowess in cricket. If not for the ban imposed on South Africa, he would’ve been a legend of the game in international cricket also.
Mike Procter was a great human being and a great cricketer. The cricketing fraternity will miss his presence and it has been indeed a great loss for South Africa as they lose their first coach in the ODI World Cup.
