Mike Procter

If any cricketer missed out in striking gold in the history of the game, it would be none other than South Africa's Mike Procter. Unfortunate to have played only seven Test matches for his nation, Mike Procter was denied a chance to display his sublime cricketing talents as South Africa were not permitted to play international cricket.

Though he was denied a chance to play international cricket, Mike Procter went on to play for Gloucestershire, where he sprung some exceptional performances for the team. Among the best double skilled players then, Procter would eventually finish his first-class career with a bowling average of 19.53 and a batting average of 36.01.
After his stint in the county arena, Procter returned to South Africa to coach the national team, which was making its way back into the international circuit.

Procky, as he was fondly known, Procter would go on to become a part of the ICC’s Elite Panel of Match Referee’s. There have been stormy times during his stint as match referee, most famously during the Oval Test of 2006, when Pakistan forfeited a Test match after the Umpires accused Pakistan bowlers of tampering the ball, and again during India’s tour of Australia in December 2007, when he banned Harbhajan Singh, following a racism row.

After having been a part of such widespread controversies, Mike Procter went on to become a not so populous cricketing personality in the sub-continent.