Legendary South African all-rounder Procter dies

Legendary South Africa cricketer Mike Procter passed away on Saturday (February 17) following complications after a heart surgery.

He was 77.

Procter had previously undergone some complications during surgery, which resulted in him being admitted to the ICU.

“He suffered a complication during surgery and while in ICU went into cardiac arrest. He became unconscious and unfortunately never woke up,” his wife Maryna told South African website News24.

The 77-year-old enjoyed a prolific three-year international career spanning from 1967 to 1970, during which he played seven Tests, winning six of those matches.

Esteemed within the cricket community for his exceptional bowling skill, Procter impressed fans by securing 41 wickets with an average of 15.02. However, his sterling international career was suddenly cut short in 1970 when a ban was imposed on South Africa due its apartheid government. This severely restricted the nation’s involvement in any cricketing activities during that period.

Despite the abrupt end to his international career, Procter’s First-class and List-A cricket careers nonetheless stood out. He played first-class cricket for 16 years, including 14 seasons with English county Gloucestershire, in which he was captain for five years.

He scored 21,936 runs at an average of 36.01 across 401 first-class cricket matches, smashing 48 hundred and 109 fifties. His crowning glory was arguably his knock of 254 runs for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) against the Western Province in 1971.

To go with his exploits with the bat, Procter also claimed 1,417 first-class wickets at an impressive average of 19.53, his best innings figures marked at 9 for 71. To date, he remains the only player in South African cricketing history to have both scored 500 runs and bagged 50 wickets in a single domestic season.

22 years after his playing career, Procter returned to South African cricket to coach the national team at the 1992 ODI World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals before losing to England.

He later became part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) panel of match referees and also served as South Africa’s convener of selectors.

(With inputs from agencies)