Dean Du Plessis: The First Visually Impaired Commentator To Cover International Cricket

19 May 2021


ByKal Sajad
BBC Sport


The grunt of a bowler's shipment, the shuffle of the batsman's feet and the crunch of willow striking leather.


These sounds - which typically go unnoticed by cricket fans - are all that are required for analyst Dean du Plessis to relay what is taking place to his audience.


The 44-year-old Zimbabwean, who was born with tumours behind both retinas, is the first aesthetically impaired analyst to cover worldwide cricket.


"Commentating by sound is nothing incredible," he decently says.


"I have a feed from the stump microphone, no other innovation, and just listen extremely, extremely carefully; as much as sighted people pay very close attention to what they're seeing, that's what I do."


Talking To BBC Sport, Du Plessis discusses the origins of his love for cricket, his journey into the commentary box and the techniques he uses when calling the action.


Falling in love through the noise of cricket


Du Plessis is true cricket aficionado, whose commentary is typically matched with the most odd data from years passed.


But he was not always a fan of the sport.


"My sibling Gary was a very, great cricketer however I didn't comprehend the game when I was young," he states.


"Nobody truly took time out to discuss cricket to me and I actually hated and loathed that with a passion."


Born in Harare, Du Plessis later went to study at boarding school in South Africa which is where his accessory to cricket first appeared.


In 1991, South Africa travelled to India in what was their readmission to global cricket with the nation's apartheid routine coming to an end.


"I was listening to the third match of the series on Radio 2000, South Africa's equivalent to Test Match Special," Du Plessis says.


"All I heard was sound, that's all I can explain, it was just a noise of about 60 or 70,000 Indian enthusiasts cheering and also continuously releasing fireworks.


"And slightly through the noise of cheering and fireworks far, you might hear a commentator trying to tell you what was going on and I didn't understand what he was stating.


"It was something like 'in comes Donald to Tendulkar, through square leg, past the umpire, down to backwards square leg, the fielder gets and they go through for a single'.


"I understood little bits about cricket however I didn't learn about backwards square leg and things like that.


"But I started to listen and really enjoy it. I don't know why because I didn't understand what they were stating, but every time it opted for 4 or a six, I might feel the excitement structure."


Phoning cricket stars and 'being a bug'


As Du Plessis' love for the video game grew, he set off on an objective to reach out to his new-found heroes.


While the modern sports fan may direct message Ben Stokes or tag Jofra Archer, Du Plessis would rather simply look for Zimbabwe cricketers in the local telephone directory.


"I would then have their number and phone utilizing a call box from school, hoping my money would not go out and just wishing to talk cricket with these players," he states.


"I was a real pest and the main bad victim was bowler Eddo Brandes, he was a chicken farmer and in some cases I would call him after I had actually completed school at 8pm and he needed to actually be up with the chickens at three or four o'clock in the morning.


"He 'd be a bit irritated at very first once he was up and awake he was really, extremely willing to chat. I likewise utilized to phone Alastair Campbell who was extremely kind to me as were both the Flower siblings, Grant and Andy."


But it was previous Zimbabwe batsman David Houghton - now head coach at Derbyshire - who Du Plessis actually struck up a friendship with.


"Dave was just a water fountain of details, however what I really appreciate was he didn't just address my concerns but he would ask everything about me too," includes Du Plessis.


"Once my cash was about to run out and he requested for my number to call me back, and we an excellent 20 minutes."


From fan to analyst


Having completed his research studies, Du Plessis returned to Zimbabwe with a network of super star cricket friends.


"It was the cricketers - the Flower bros, Houghton, Campbell, Brandes - that made me feel very, very welcome and would welcome me to come view them play," he says.


Du Plessis quickly ended up being a routine at national grounds and, having actually been offered the liberty to stroll around the media centres, was rubbing shoulders with broadcasters and cricket press.


During a worldwide triangular series between Zimbabwe, India and West Indies in 2001, he was welcomed to join reporter Neil Manthorp, who was on traditional pal, and previous India batsman Ravi Shastri for a 15 minute chat on the Cricinfo website's online radio broadcast.


Du Plessis' knowledge and interest impressed both the broadcast group and those back at headquarters.


"It was implied to simply be a short discussion on my enjoyment of cricket but Neil received an email from the workplace halfway through," he states.


"The producers wished to keep me on for the complete 30 minutes and ensure I was a part of the remainder of the series.


"And that's practically how my commentary started. I then got my first tv gig 2 years."


How does he do it?


Du Plessis is frequently asked how he manages to identify what is occurring on the field.


"Well, I don't have any additional technology or extra stump mic or anyone telling me what's going on," he addresses.


"I can tell you who the various bowlers are by the method they approach the crease.


"With Stuart Broad, for example, there's a bit of a dragging sound as the ball is provided he offers an explosive grunt as he gets to the wicket.


"Some approach the crease extremely silently, like Freddie Flintoff who hardly made a sound, whereas Shane Warne, as a leg-spinner, had a huge grunt."


Du Plessis can likewise figure out which batter is on strike through the sound of their voice, and the instructions in which the ball is hit by the noise it leaves the bat.


"In terms of batting you just listen really carefully to how the batters interact with each other," he states.


"When Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick utilized to bat together, Trescothick would constantly simply state "run" when he struck the ball whereas Strauss would say "Yeah begun, come on, begun".


"And when the ball is struck through the off side, it has a really sharp, crack sound, instead of the ball being played through the leg side.


"I can likewise inform when sweep shots are being played because you can hear the bat striking the ground with a scraping sound."


'I believe I have actually found my niche'


A life time of listening to cricket paired with the capability to identify individuals by sound, touch and smell has enabled to Du Plessis to forge an effective career as a broadcaster.


A speaker of his own cricket podcast, he says his commentary work may need to take a rear seats due to health reasons.


"I believe I will need to do less of the commentary which's generally due to the fact that I have actually lost rather a bit of my hearing, specifically in my left ear," he describes.


"Apparently that's a typical thing with blind individuals since we utilize our ears so enthusiastically.


"But I believe I have actually found my specific niche in hosting, providing and doing podcasts. I would enjoy to advance my broadcasting profession and possibly emigrate from Zimbabwe, ideally to a cricket-playing country."


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