Former South African cricket team coach and renowned all-rounder, Mike Procter, aged 77, is currently in critical condition after suffering a cardiac incident while recovering in the ICU from a surgery mishap on Monday, February 12, 2024. Procter faced complications during a routine surgery in a hospital in Durban, leading to his admission to the ICU.
In a statement to AFP, Procter’s family revealed, “Mike faced a complication in routine surgery last week. While in the ICU for recovery, he had a cardiac incident. Currently, he’s in ICU, focusing on getting better. We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for him.”
Procter’s cricket career spans three years (1967-1970), during which he played seven high-profile Test matches, winning six of those with his side. He gained immense praise for his bowling prowess, picking up 41 wickets at an average of 15.02. His international career was cut short due to the ban imposed on South Africa in 1970, prohibiting them from participating in cricketing activities due to their apartheid government.
Despite the premature end to his international career, Procter’s First-class and List-A cricket career flourished. He scored 21,936 runs at an average of 36.01 across 401 first-class cricket matches, with a notable 254-run innings for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) against the Western Province in 1971. Procter also excelled in bowling, securing 1,417 first-class wickets at an average of 19.53, with his best innings figures being 9/71.
Procter holds a unique distinction in South African cricket history as the only player to have scored 500 runs and taken 50 wickets in a domestic South African season. He later returned to the South African cricket team as a coach during the 1992 ODI World Cup, cementing his status as a respected figure in the cricketing world.
