The grunt of a bowler’s delivery, the shuffle of the batsman’s feet and the crunch of willow striking leather. These sounds – which often go unnoticed 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 first visually impaired commentator to cover international cricket. “I have a feed from the stump microphone, no other technology, and just listen very, very carefully; as much as sighted people pay close attention to what they’re seeing, that’s what I do.” A lifetime of listening to cricket coupled with the ability to recognise people by sound, touch and smell has enabled to Du Plessis to forge a successful career as a broadcaster.
SOURCE: BBC
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