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 noises - which frequently go undetected by cricket fans - are all that are needed for commentator Dean du Plessis to relay what is happening to his audience.


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


"Commentating by noise is nothing amazing," he decently states.


"I have a feed from the stump microphone, no other technology, and just listen really, very carefully; as much as sighted people pay 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 utilizes when calling the action.


Falling in love through the noise of cricket


Du Plessis is real cricket connoisseur, whose commentary is often complemented with the most unknown data from years passed.


But he was not constantly a fan of the sport.


"My brother Gary was a really, really excellent cricketer but I didn't understand the video game when I was young," he says.


"Nobody really took time out to discuss cricket to me and I actually hated and hated that with an enthusiasm."


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


In 1991, South Africa took a trip to India in what was their readmission to international cricket with the country's apartheid program coming to an end.


"I was listening to the 3rd match of the series on Radio 2000, South Africa's comparable to Test Match Special," Du Plessis says.


"All I heard was sound, that's all I can explain, it was simply a noise of about 60 or 70,000 Indian fanatics cheering and likewise continuously letting go fireworks.


"And slightly through the sound of cheering and fireworks far, you could hear an analyst attempting to tell you what was going on and I didn't understand what he was saying.


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


"But I began to listen and really enjoy it. I do not understand why because I didn't understand what they were stating, but whenever it opted for 4 or a six, I might feel the enjoyment building."


Phoning cricket stars and 'being a bug'


As Du Plessis' love for the game grew, he triggered on a mission to connect to his new-found heroes.


While the contemporary sports fan may direct message Ben Stokes or tag Jofra Archer, Du Plessis would quite simply look for Zimbabwe cricketers in the local phone book.


"I would then have their number and phone utilizing a call box from school, hoping my cash would not go out and simply wishing to talk cricket with these gamers," he says.


"I was a real pest and the primary poor victim was bowler Eddo Brandes, he was a chicken farmer and in some cases I would call him after I had actually ended up school at 8pm and he needed to actually be up with the chickens at three or 4 o'clock in the morning.


"He 'd be a bit irritated initially but as soon as he was up and awake he was really, really ready to chat. I also utilized to phone Alastair Campbell who was extremely kind to me as were both the Flower bros, Grant and Andy."


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


"Dave was simply a water fountain of info, however what I actually appreciate was he didn't just address my questions but he would ask all about me too," includes Du Plessis.


"Once my money will run out and he requested my number to call me back, and we spoke for a good 20 minutes."


From fan to analyst


Having completed his research studies, Du Plessis went back to Zimbabwe with a network of superstar cricket friends.


"It was the the Flower brothers, Houghton, Campbell, Brandes - that made me feel very, very welcome and would welcome me to come watch them play," he states.


Du Plessis soon ended up being a regular at nationwide grounds and, having been offered the flexibility to walk around the media centres, was rubbing shoulders with broadcasters and cricket press.


During a worldwide triangular series in between Zimbabwe, India and West Indies in 2001, he was invited to sign up with journalist Neil Manthorp, who was on old-fashioned friend, and former India batsman Ravi Shastri for a 15 minute chat on the Cricinfo site's online radio broadcast.


Du Plessis' knowledge and enthusiasm impressed both the broadcast team and those back at head office.


"It was meant to just be a brief discussion on my pleasure of cricket but Neil received an email from the office halfway through," he says.


"The producers desired to keep me on for the complete thirty minutes and make certain I was a part of the rest of the series.


"Which's quite much how my commentary began. I then got my very first tv gig 2 years."


How does he do it?


Du Plessis is typically asked how he handles to identify what is happening on the field.


"Well, I do not have any extra technology or additional stump mic or anybody informing me what's going on," he answers.


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


"With Stuart Broad, for instance, there's a little 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 really quietly, like Freddie Flintoff who hardly made a noise, whereas Shane Warne, as a leg-spinner, had a big grunt."


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


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


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


"And when the ball is struck through the off side, it has an extremely sharp, crack noise, as opposed to 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 think I have actually found my specific niche'


A lifetime of listening to cricket coupled with the capability to identify individuals by noise, touch and smell has actually enabled to Du Plessis to create a successful career as a broadcaster.


A presenter of his own cricket podcast, he says his commentary work may require to take a rear seats due to health factors.


"I think I will have to do less of the commentary and that's generally due to the truth that I have actually lost a fair bit of my hearing, especially in my left ear," he explains.


"Apparently that's a common thing with blind people due to the fact that we utilize our ears so enthusiastically.


"But I think I have actually discovered my specific niche in hosting, providing and doing podcasts. I would enjoy to advance my broadcasting career and maybe emigrate from Zimbabwe, ideally to a cricket-playing nation."


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