Mike Procter passes away at 77

Former South Africa all-rounder and one of the all-time greats, Mike Procter has passed away at the age of 77, following complications during heart surgery. He breathed his last in a Durban hospital and is survived by his wife, Maryne, and two daughters.

Procter could play only seven Tests for the Proteas due to sporting isolation in the 1970s and 1980s. Notably, all the games he played were against Australia, coming in two spans of 1966–67 and 1969–70.

Procter took an impressive 41 wickets to his name, maintaining an economy of 2.44 runs. He helped South Africa win six of the seven Tests he competed in, with his best figures of 6 for 73 coming in the second innings of his final appearance at Port Elizabeth, where South Africa beat Australia by a mammoth 323 runs. 

Apart from his short international career, it was domestic cricket where Procter played his best. He played 410 first-class matches and took a whopping 1417 wickets. His repertoire with the bat was something that the opponents truly feared as Procter scored a whopping 21,936 runs with an average of 36.01 runs and 48 centuries to his name. He was also named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year in 1970, after a 103-wicket season for Gloucestershire in 1969.

After the Proteas gained their entry back into international cricket, Procter was named the head coach of the side. He oversaw the side in the 1992 World Cup, guiding them to the semi-finals before they fell out against England in an infamous clash. 

He also served as an ICC match referee between 2002 and 2008 and truly remained a stalwart for cricket in South Africa and around the world.