South African former player and coach Mike Procter died at the age of 77

South Africa: Former national coach of South Africa cricket and legend Mike Procter passes away on Saturday at the age of 77, his wife told reporters. Her family announced his demise citing he suffered a complication during a surgery after which he became unconscious and never woke up.

His wife Maryna Procter said,”He suffered a complication during surgery, became unconscious and never woke up.” Procter was legendary in South African cricket as apart from being a player, his career shined during his coaching stint as well. He became the first coach for the nation in the post-apartheid era.

On Monday his family revealed that he had suffered a “cardiac incident” while recovering in a hospital intensive care unit following routine surgery. He was being treated in a hospital near his hometown Durban.

Procter’s international playing career with South Africa was cut short in 1970 when his country was banished from world cricket because of its apartheid government. Before the ban was imposed, South Africa won six of the seven Tests in which he played, all against Australia. He was a renowned speedster as he took 41 wickets at an average of 15.02 runs in his seven Tests.

He was a swashbuckling batter as well, as he hit a record-equalling six first-class centuries in successive innings. He was also a flamboyant batsman, and equalled a world batting record when he hit six first-class centuries in successive innings.

Post-democracy, South Africa returned to international cricket, Procter became coach of the international side and led them to the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup. He featured in first-class cricket for 16 years which included 14 seasons with the English county Gloucestershire. He captained the side on five occasions, achieving the legendary status.

A former Gloucestershire team-mate of Procter, David Graveney said the South African “was a fantastic player and quite rightly regarded as one of the best all-rounders that has ever represented Gloucestershire”. He added, “I don’t think people realise that when Mike played he was playing through great pain in his knee, but that didn’t stop him from performing at the level he did.”