Procter began his career mainly as a menacing fast bowler, who famously "bowled off the wrong foot",[2][3][4] and became well known in the cricketing fraternity for his chest-on action and for his ability to release the ball early in his delivery stride.

Procter also gained a reputation for being an outstanding batter of his generation, becoming only one of three players to strike a record six consecutive centuries in first class cricket, alongside Don Bradman and C. B.

He took 41 Test wickets at an average of 15.02, and with Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock helped South Africa to two successive series wins over Australia by margins of 3–1 and 4–0.

[21] Procter also captained the Springbok team that played in three "tests" and three "one day internationals" against an English rebel XI, led by Graham Gooch, that toured South Africa in 1982.

[22] He revealed that he once came close to qualifying to play for the England national team in 1980, but his body was tired by the time such news apparently began to spread.

[28] Procter scored 109 not out in Gloucestershire's 135/3 in the 1972 John Player League – the lowest team total in List A cricket to include a century.

[33] Mike Procter also produced a spell for the ages by grabbing everyone's attention capturing 4 wickets in 5 balls playing for Gloucestershire against Hampshire in a crucial semi-final match during the 1977 Benson and Hedges Cup.

[34][35] He ripped through the top order of Hampshire's batting lineup which also included the prized scalps of his fellow South African Barry Richards and West Indian opener Gordon Greenidge.

[25] As a player Procter had beaten England there in 1970 with the Rest of the World XI and won the Gillette Cup for Gloucestershire in 1973, scoring 94 and taking two wickets against Sussex.

[31] "I never really bothered much about averages, I was more concerned with how the team did, so to never lose a big game at Lord's was a highlight, plus there was winning all the Super Tests in Australia during World Series Cricket and all those Currie Cups with Natal", Procter told Cricinfo.

He was described by Wisden as "One of the rare cricketers who could have found a place in any test team as either a batsman or bowler and who could win a game single-handed with bat or ball in his hand".

[39][40] He also served as an international cricket commentator, and one of his most memorable moments as a commentator came during the epic semi-final played between Australia and South Africa during the 1999 Cricket World Cup, which ended in a dramatic fashion with scores tied, albeit with a clumsy run of South African tailender Allan Donald.

[43] He refereed the forfeited Oval Test of August 2006 when Pakistan refused to take the field after tea in protest at the umpires' decision to penalise them for ball tampering.

'[50][51] Procter had been criticised for his original decision and Sunil Gavaskar questioned whether his sympathies lay with the Australian team due to his race.

[9] On 12 February 2024, Proctor was admitted to the intensive care unit at Busamed Gateway Private Hospital in uMhlanga following a cardiac arrest.

[59][60] Gloucestershire revealed that the club's flag would be lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect to Procter until the start of the County Championship season, which was scheduled to begin on 5 April 2024.