Apartheid robbed Mike Procter of the best years of his playing career - South Africa’s exile from international cricket began when the all-rounder was 23 - and racial controversy has continued to follow him in his second career as an official.

The second Test in Sydney that ended on Sunday was Procter’s 45th as a match referee; he is the second-most experienced on the ICC’s panel and is regarded as a competent official who lets events run their natural course, rather than an interventionist. Yet in Sydney last week, and in a Test match at the Brit Oval in 2006, he could have prevented, or at least dampened, the furores by having a word with the captains when trouble first flared.

Australia’s complaint about alleged racial abuse from Harbhajan Singh towards Andrew Symonds was the second time Procter has been caught in a race row. In the Oval Test, Pakistan refused to take the field after tea in protest at the umpires’ decision to penalise them for ball-tampering and the match was awarded to England. Many feel that Procter could have worked harder to persuade Dar-rell Hair, the Australian umpire, that the match should continue. Hair has since brought, and dropped, a case of racial discrimination against the ICC.

Procter was also the referee in the Antigua Test between Australia and West Indies in 2003, when Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan almost came to blows over alleged remarks made about the Australia bowler’s wife. Procter decided to take no action against either player after David Shepherd, the umpire, calmed them down.

Expert View

The reason the row has got out of hand is not because of racism. It is because too soft a line has been taken on the practice of sledging for far too long

Simon Barnes

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BACKGROUND

• Bucknor axed in Test cricket racism row

• Cricket split by 'Bollyline' tour

• India’s wounded national pride

• The slippery slope of sledging

BACKGROUND

• Procter haunted by controversy

• Controversy timeline

• Other cricketing controversies

• 'Bring them home' say majority of fans

BACKGROUND

• Australia finds little in which to glory

• World media split over Harbhajan affair

Multimedia

• Are Australia bad sports?

• Echoes of Bodyline series

• Patrick Kidd on Steve Bucknor decision

In seven Tests, Procter averaged 25 with the bat and 15 with the ball. He had a successful career with Gloucestershire and coached South Africa in their first 17 Tests after being readmitted to the international fold. He became an ICC referee in 2001.