Meet the world’s only blind cricket commentator: I rely on the stump microphones

Sara-Jayne Makwala King hears about Dean du Plessis’ remarkable career and life story.

– Dean du Plessis’ love for cricket began in the Cape where he boarded at the Pioneer School for the visually impaired in Worcester.

– The exceptional cricket commentator tells Sara-Jayne Makwala King his story.

Dean du Plessis was born blind but has become one of Zimbabwe’s best-loved cricket commentators.

He is, in fact, the world’s only visually impaired cricket commentator.

Du Plessis’ love for cricket began not in Zimbabwe where he grew up, but in the Cape where he boarded at the Pioneer School for the visually impaired in Worcester – formerly the School for the Blind.

He tells Sara-Jane King his passion for broadcasting preceded his interest in cricket.

I knew from about four or five years old, with all certainty, that I wanted to be on radio but [at that stage] I didn’t understand or like the game of cricket at all.

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

Down at the Pioneer School in Worcester I was just browsing through the radio stations as a very shy 14-year-old, pimpled little teenager… It was South Africa back in India after they’d been re-admitted to the international scene and all my schoolmates were talking about this…

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

At this point he had a “vague” understanding of the game as his brother was a very good cricketer.

Hearing the clamour of 80 000 fans at the SA-India match though, he finally understood what all the hype was about, du Plessis says.

Although the commentary didn’t mean anything to me then, I really started to really appreciate this… And the deal was sealed with the 1992 World Cup. We were all at boarding school lying in our beds at night listening to South Africa’s first World Cup, played Down Under…

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

That’s when I became completely addicted to cricket and then I knew that, somehow, I also wanted to play a part in terms of broadcasting the game as well.

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

Du Plessis’ remarkable career has been going strong for over two decades now.

Of course he often gets asked how he manages to do what he does.

It’s nothing as special as people make it out to be, he insists.

“It’s just appreciating what you have around you.”

Du Plessis explains that he makes use of today’s stump microphones, as all the commentators do.

So when the bowler comes in to bowl and gets to the crease, and as he delivers the ball… certain bowlers have a different grunt as they bowl, with others their foot drags as they get to the crease and deliver… [depending on whether they’re a leg spinner or an off spinner]

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

So I have my own little idiosyncrasies of identifying players just by what they do… When I’m in the commentary box I don’t get any special or preferential treatment, the only time obviously when someone may help me out is when there’s a graphic that appears on the screen – obviously I can’t read that.

Dean du Plessis, Zimbabwean cricket commentator

The exceptional cricket commentator credits South African cricket writer Neil Manthorp with helping him to break into the business.

Du Plessis says he still encounters the doubters, but that it’s simply a case of standing tall and saying “bring it on”.

You can follow du Plessis on Twitter and also catch his podcast Dean at Stumps.

Scroll up to listen to the fascinating interview with du Plessis

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Meet the world’s only blind cricket commentator: I rely on the stump microphones