Long-time friend and teammate Barry Richards remarked, “a giant has fallen,” in his homage to the late South African all-rounder Mike Procter, who passed away at the age of 77 near Durban on Saturday.
“We were intertwined in each other’s lives,” Richards reflected on his 65-year friendship with Procter.
Barry Richards and Mike Procter, hailed as two of South Africa’s most illustrious cricketers, initially competed against one another in school cricket and later joined forces for the Natal province and South Africa, playing together at both junior and international levels.
“Anyone who played for Natal, Rhodesia, and Gloucestershire during the 1960s and 70s was in the company of a genius,” Richards stated.
Procter and Richards were part of the South African team that won all four of their matches against Australia in the 1969-70 series, a high point cut short by the international isolation South Africa faced due to its apartheid policy. Vintcent van der Bijl, who formed a formidable new ball duo with Procter for Natal, remembered his former teammate as “the most unpretentious great cricketer I knew.”
Van der Bijl, a former International Cricket Council head of umpires and match referees, praised Procter as “a warrior on the field” who played the game with a tough yet amateur spirit, always aiming to have fun. “Playing with and against him was a real privilege,” he added.
Procter became South Africa’s first coach upon the end of its international isolation in 1991, ushering players like fast bowler Allan Donald into the international arena.
Donald shared, “I learned a lot from him. Listening to him was an experience. He instilled in me the mentality needed to be a fast bowler.”
Ali Bacher, former managing director of South African cricket and captain of Procter during the series against Australia, lauded him as “one of the most outstanding cricketers that South Africa has produced,” noting his prowess as both a fast, swinging bowler and a batsman capable of batting at number five for any country in the world.
Cricket South Africa president Rihan Richards recognized Procter as “not just a giant on the field but a beacon of hope and inspiration off it.” Dolphins Cricket, formerly the Natal Cricket Union, stated that Procter’s “legacy will continue to inspire future generations.”
His career was celebrated as outstanding in the realms of playing, leadership, and cricket administration. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club announced it would fly its flag at half-mast until the start of the English county season in tribute to Procter, who played 482 matches for the club and served as captain from 1977 to 1981.
