A blind cricket commentator in Zimbabwe manages to judge the power and direction of a shot – and rarely makes mistakes. When the ball hits the bat, the radio announcer exclaims that it's sailing far. Dean Du Plessis' （photo, AP） acute sense of hearing and his eavesdropping on other commentators helps him overcome the fact that he is blind, producing a delivery so polished that most listeners are unaware that he can't see.

辛巴威一位失明的板球球評，設法判斷一記重擊的力道和方向，而且很少有「看走眼」的時候。當球擊中球拍時，這位電台球評高喊，球飛得很遠。杜普雷西斯（見圖／美聯社）憑著敏銳的聽力及其他球評斷斷續續傳來的轉播，克服失明的事實，嫻熟精采地轉播球賽，大部分聽眾甚至不知道他看不見。

Du Plessis hears the power and direction of the hit. He listens to the speed and spin of the ball, along with the players' exertions and their cries of elation or frustration. He senses the excitement - or otherwise - of the play on the cricket field and collates the scores with a computer-like memory.

杜普雷西斯聽到擊球的威力和方向，也聽到投球的速度和旋轉、球員表現和他們的歡呼聲或挫折嘆息聲。他可以感受到球場上的比賽是否充滿興奮激情，再以電腦般的記憶整理出雙方得分。

In the media area at Harare's Country Club sports field, other journalists see the ball soar skyward after a sharp crack on the bat. “That's a big one. It's gone for six,” said the 33-year-old Du Plessis, his opaque eyes gazing into the distance. It has, flying way out of the field.

在哈拉雷鄉村俱樂部球場的媒體採訪區，其他記者看到球擊出後發出輕脆的聲音，急速往上飆升。33歲的杜普雷西斯大喊：「好球！肯定是個『6分打』！」他那渾濁的眼珠子凝視著遠方。結果球果然沒落地，直接飛到界繩外。

Team members and spectators murmur applause as the often sedate game of cricket that originated in Britain goes on. In a fast-moving sport like basketball, Du Plessis' feat would likely be impossible. He asks a friend to confirm the score on the board and feeds the latest to state radio. “I have to ensure I am totally accurate,” he told The Associated Press. “I'm generally spot on or very close. I think I have a pretty big hard drive in my head.”

球員和觀眾發出雜音和掌聲。而這種發源於英國、多半時候安靜進行的板球賽也繼續打下去。在像籃球這種快速移動的運動，杜普雷西斯這種絕技不太可能派上用場。他向一個友人確認記分板上的分數，再把最新戰果透過官方電台播出。他告訴美聯社：「我還是得確認我完全準確。我十之八九非常精準或至少不會有太大的出入，我想我腦袋裡有個相當大的硬碟。」

On this day, in a friendly match against New Zealand visitors in Harare, he doesn't have the advantage of mini cameras and microphones placed in the stumps, three upright sticks at each end of the pitch, that are routinely placed on the field at top international games. Used as a “television umpire” and to assist in television coverage, they help Du Plessis “watch” the game. “When they are there, the mikes are very important,” he said.

這天，在哈拉雷舉行對紐西蘭客隊的一場友誼賽中，他並未占安裝在板球門柱上的小型攝影機和麥克風的優勢，球道兩頭各有三根直立木柱，在最重要的國際賽事中，它們通常會安裝在球場上，作為「電視裁判」並協助電視轉播，它們也可以幫助杜普雷西斯「看」球賽。他說：「當他們出場比賽時，麥克風很重要。」

In commentating at international games in Bangladesh and South Africa, he said he listens to fellow sighted commentators and also asks questions of scorekeepers and players alike. Former Australian star Test cricket player Shayne Warne has body movements and verbal grunts that are easy to discern, according to Du Plessis. Other world sportsmen have an audible “signature” too. A former England cricket team captain talks to a struck ball, willing it to roll further to the four-run boundary line.

他並說，在孟加拉和南非舉行的國際比賽中當球評時，他得聽明眼同業的評論，還得向記分員和球員討教。杜普雷西斯表示，澳洲前板球對抗賽球星瓦恩的肢體動作和口頭語很容易辨識。世界其他板球選手也各有聽得出來的「正字標記」。英格蘭板球隊一位前隊長，就會對著擊出的球喃喃自語，巴望它能滾到4分界繩外。

The Zimbabwe-born commentator was born with tumors in both eyes and his parents were told he wouldn't live beyond infancy. They sent him to a school for the blind in neighboring South Africa at age six in the absence of a similar facility at home. It was there that his passion for sports was born as he listened to radio commentaries. Above the sound of firecrackers and the “cacophony” of tens of thousands of cricket-mad Asian supporters, he easily followed an Indian cricket series by “tuning in” to all the sound effects.

這位辛巴威土生土長的球評，一出生兩眼就長腫瘤，他父母被告知，他活不過嬰兒期。6歲那年，他被送到鄰國南非一所啟明學校就讀，就在那裡，由於常聽電台球賽轉播，激起他對運動的熱愛。在數以萬計瘋板球的亞洲粉絲爆炸性和「喧譁嘈雜的」聲音之外，他靠「微調」所有音效，輕鬆收聽印度板球賽系列報導。

Zimbabwe beat South Africa in the 1992 cricket World Cup and soon after beat top Test cricket nation England in Harare. “I was already hooked,” said Du Plessis. A former telephone operator, he now works as a media editor at the national cricket governing body's headquarters in Harare. He reads braille but says audio programs on mobile phones and computers have made punched braille manuscripts almost obsolete.

辛巴威在1992年世界杯板球賽中擊敗南非，不久後又在哈拉雷擊敗板球對抗賽排名第一的英格蘭國家代表隊。杜普雷西斯說：「我已經上癮。」過去曾擔任電話接線生的他，如今已是總部在哈拉雷的國家板球理事會的媒體編輯。他雖能靠點字閱讀，但他表示，手機和電腦語音轉播，幾乎已經使點字遭到淘汰。

He follows martial arts competitions in Zimbabwe and belongs to motorcycle club that meets Sundays, enjoying riding on the back of fast bikes. “He is not inhibited nearly as much as you would expect,” said veteran award-winning Zimbabwe sports writer John Kelley. “His memory for the scores and his match summaries are absolutely astonishing.”

他也很注意辛巴威的武術比賽，周日還加入摩托車俱樂部，享受騎摩托車馳騁的快感。辛巴威曾得獎的老牌體育記者凱利說：「他絕對不像想像中那麼羞怯，他對得分的記憶和概括扼要的球評，聽眾無不稱奇。」

Du Plessis said he dreams of working full time for a major international sports channel, “but as soon as people learn I'm blind they back off.” Still, he has shared commentary boxes with the world's best in South Africa and Asia, and earned many colleagues' respect. “He's unique. On air, you can't tell he's blind. Only a circle of cricket followers know he is,” said Dave Emberton, a Zimbabwe broadcast news reader.

杜普雷西斯說，他夢想能為一個重要的國際體育頻道全時工作：「但每當對方知道我兩眼失明，就打退堂鼓。」不過，在南非和亞洲媒體採訪區，他和頂尖球評平起平坐，並贏得同業的敬重。辛巴威新聞主播安伯頓就說：「他是獨一無二的。在轉播時，你根本不知道他兩眼失明，只有板球界圈內人士知道。」

Du Plessis has also bemoaned the lack of opportunities in Zimbabwe to expand his career in sports broadcasting. He said, “I still feel I have a lot to offer to cricket but my concern is I've been very much underused. I still haven't fulfilled anyway near to what I would like to do. I would like to be a full time presenter on radio or television but I still feel I'm not being given a fair chance.” There is no doubt however, even with his handicap, that he's left cricket fans awestruck by his gift.

杜普雷西斯也感歎，在辛巴威懷才不遇，沒什麼機會進一步拓展他體育轉播的長才。他說：「我還是覺得可以為板球出更多力，我比較關切的是我一直大才小用，距離我想完成的目標還差得遠呢。我希望能成為全職電台或電視主播，但我覺得我並沒有得到公平的機會。」儘管身體殘疾，他無疑已經使板球迷對他的才華深深折服。