Skip to main content

But for apartheid, this South African cricketer would have been greatest all rounder

By Harsh Thakor* 

On February 17th legendary cricketer Mike Procter sadly left us, nursing complications from a heart surgery. Had he had a full fledged career, which apartheid policies of South Africa wouldn’t have robbed, Procter would probably have been the greatest all rounder ever after Sir Garfield Sobers. For a while after retirement of Sobers in terms of all-round cricketing prowess Procter was 2nd only to Sobers. 
Procter was an epitome of athleticism and aggression. He played against Gary Sobers, which became close to cricket's greatest duel. Above all he exhibited sportsmanship of the highest degree.
Considering he was a genuinely quick pace bowler, and struck the ball with thunderous power with the bat, he could possibly have been the greatest match-winner amongst all-rounders. Few cricketers struck more lightning and thunder on a cricket field. To me he would secure a permanent place amongst cricket's greatest entertainers. 
In full flow Procter could create the impact of a Tsunami with the bat. However, it was complemented with sound technique. He could exhibit the methodology of an English grammar professor in his strokes, being a master of the cover drive. With his batting exuberance I would have backed him to turn the fortunes of game more than even Botham, Imran, Kapil Dev or Kallis. At his best he was simply majestic with the bat.
Procter scored 6 centuries in succession for Rhodesia in the Currie Cup, resembling an invincible emperor. His knock of 203 in 1978 against Essex in 165 innings was compared to the very best innings of Walter Hammond, taking batting domination to a pinnacle.
Procter’s bowling was explosive, blazingly quick, ending with his shoulders almost square to the stumps. Even though he possessed a most unorthodox, front on action, few pacemen were more lethal in full flow as Procter. He was reminiscent of a bull charging in. He mastered the art of mixing pace with movement both ways. He released the ball with a high straight arm, his chest facing the batsman and his front foot still in the air. 
Few bowlers were ever better exponents of the inswinger, and arguably Procter with his action did not need an outswinger in his armoury. In the view of Doug Walters, "His leg-cutter mostly seamed inwards to the right handers rather than away, but could be unplayable when it gripped and seamed away”. Quoting Mark Nicholas, "His arms worked like helicopter blades and the ball flew at the batsmen as if propelled by machine; it would swing and skid, but when he rolled his fingers across the seam, it would bite and cut.”
A concoction of inswing, straight ball and movement either way off the pitch, made Procter a truly great bowler. When his leg-cutter gripped it was unplayable, when it seamed away. Often he disguised his leg cutter to seam the ball into the right hander.
His unplayable inswing enabled him to capture 4 first class hat tricks in the 1970s. In the 1977 Benson and Hedges semi-final at Southampton he exhibited one of pace bowling's most dazzling or penetrative exhibitions, taking four wickets in 5 balls, including trapping both Gordon Greenidge and Barry Richards in front. 
Incredibly, Procter could also bowl effective offspin, on turning tracks, or when wickets were not conducive to pace. Quoting Alex Bannister in the Almanak, “He represents what the ancient game needs everywhere-a real personality -- a gifted performer, and one who is seen to enjoy every minute on a cricket field.” 
With his exceptional prowess I may have backed Procter to more consistently turn matches than even Ian Botham or Jacques Kallis.
In Kerry Packer cricket against the best of opposition he dazzled like no all-rounder. Australian fans got vibrations of Keith Miller and Gary Sobers resurrected when he was on the field. He averaged 18.6 with the ball and 34 with the bat, in 3 games. It was hard to visualize even Botham surpassing that, considering stature of the opposition.
Had Procter played for South Africa after it's return in 1991 or later years, I feel he would have been even more impactful than Kallis. I can't express how much I would have relished witnessing Procter playing against the best West Indies team of Clive Lloyd. It is notable that in 2 games when Procter scalped hat tricks, he capped it with centuries. 
In first class cricket, Mike Procter is 2nd only to Gary Sobers, statistically. He scored 21,936 runs at an average of 36.01 and captured 1,417 wickets at 19.53. In the only 7 test matches he played he scored 226 runs at 25.11 and captured 41 wickets at 15.02. Pertinent that Procter was instrumental in South Africa being arguably the best team in the world in 1970, before it was debarred from international cricket.
Christopher Martin Jenkins ranks him as the 68th best cricketer of all time. Geoff Armstrong in his VIth all-time XI and Late John Woodcock ranked him at 43rd place amongst his 100 best cricketers of all time, above the likes of even Alan Border, Kapil Dev and Greg Chappell. 
A very sound judge of the game who held Viv Richards, Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Gary Sobers, Ian Botham, Sunil Gavaskar, Zaheer Abbas and Michael Holding in the highest esteem. Even though a South African, he still rates Gary Sobers as the greatest of all allrounders, above Jacques Kallis. On pure ability I would have selected Mike Procter to join Sir Gary Sobers in an all-time test XI.
I appreciate that Procter most gracefully accepted his being barred in the 1970s and 1980s from international cricket expressing   that humanity was more precious than cricket and South Africa had to pay the price for it. Quoting Mike, “Yes, I lost a Test career. But what is a Test career compared to the suffering of 40 million people? Lots of people lost a great deal more in those years, and if by missing out on a Test career we played a part in changing an unjust system, then that is fine by me.” 
As an administrator and coach he played an important role in shaping South Africa to be the leading test nation for a period and unofficially the best one day team in the world. Till his last breath day he exuded great positivity to the game. I would bracket him amongst the least racist administrators who promoted coloured people into the mainstream of South African cricket. 
He played a role as match referee, when, amidst controversy at The Oval in 2006,  Pakistan forfeited the Test. Again, in Sydney in 2007-08, he banned Harbhajan Singh.
---
*Freelance journalist

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Four J&K MLAs visit Wular lake, pledge support to fisher community, environmental conservation

By Shamim Ahmed*   In a historic meeting that highlighted both environmental and social concerns, four Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) visited Wular Lake to meet with the fisherfolk community, signaling a significant step in addressing their longstanding issues. This gathering, organized with the support of dedicated advocates, marks a strengthening of efforts to both safeguard the lake’s ecosystem and support the community’s welfare.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Supreme Court’s dismissal of PIL on Covid vaccine safety is counter to known science and mathematics

By Bhaskaran Raman*  On 14 Oct 2024, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the side-effects of the Covid vaccine. In 2021, the world saw the rollout of various Covid vaccine candidates. In India, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield were rolled out. Covishield was nothing but Oxford’s AstraZeneca relabelled in India. The importance of open-minded and scientific probe of Covid vaccine safety In 2020/2021, all Covid vaccines were authorized for emergency use, which meant that the necessary efficacy and safety follow-up was incomplete at that time. The originally approved trials – called randomised controlled trials (RCT) had a “vaccine” group and a “placebo” group for comparison. Such experimental comparison/control is the cornerstone of the scientific method – which even children learn in photosynthesis experiments in class-1. The vaccine trials were scheduled to conclude in late 2022/early 2023. For instance, Covax...

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)