The South African cricketer Mike Procter, who has died aged 77 following complications from surgery, was one of the game’s greatest all-rounders. He could match the leading players of his era – from Garry Sobers at the start of his career to Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev towards the end.
The one point of difference was that Procter was able to demonstrate his prowess in only seven Test matches for South Africa, while the others clocked up 500 Test appearances between them. Yet no one who played cricket at that time has any doubts that Procter belongs in such company.
