MUMBAI, 15 March 2007 — India’s film industry is to take advantage of World Cup fever to release a pair of cricket-themed movies in the coming weeks, according to production houses in Mumbai.

With the ninth World Cup under way in the Caribbean, Bollywood is preparing to woo audiences with movies featuring Indian ace-spinner Anil Kumble and well-known cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Bhogle appears as himself in “Hat Trick,” which is about relationships between people who hold different views about the game.

“Indians are cricket crazy, so we thought it was appropriate to release the movie coinciding with the World Cup,” “Hat Trick” director Milan Luthria told AFP. “We are completing the shoot for a cricket anthem, which will be used in the movie.

“As a film maker I try and explore different themes and genres. It was time to do a sports-linked story,” Luthria added.

Kumble, the lead spinner in the 15-member Indian squad currently touring the Caribbean, plays a cameo role in the soon-to-be-released “Meerabai Not Out.” The movie stars popular television actress Mandira Bedi, a surprise star host on a Sony Entertainment cricket television show.

Mandira plays an unmarried teacher in her 30s who is passionate about cricket. “I have given up a glamorous image in the movie,” Mandira said.

Big Dwayne Is

Mother’s Pride

• In Port of Spain, Trinidad, the mother of giant Bermudan spinner Dwayne Leverock has warned his World Cup rivals to stop making fun of her son’s size.

Police constable Leverock weighs in at a huge 255 pounds (116kg) and found himself on the front pages of international newspapers last week when he took two wickets against England in a warm-up game.

But most editors concentrated on his girth rather than his spin. The British tabloids, in particular, were merciless. Headlines such as ‘Bermuda Pie-angle’, ‘Lard Before Wicket’ and ‘Owzfat’ greeted his display.

“They are more focusing on his size than his achievements. I have been angry about it,” said Allison Leverock, the mother of the player nicknamed ‘Sluggo’.

“Some of them have been very cruel. They had a reference to Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor. I don’t think that’s necessary.

“People see his size now. They probably don’t know he’s worked hard to lose a lot of weight. He was over 300 pounds at one point. He knew he had to be in a better condition to compete at a better level.

“He doesn’t eat a lot of food — he picks. It’s in his genes. He comes from a big family, both sides.”

“He’s my hero. He was anyway. Now he’s everyone’s hero. I’m keeping all the papers for him and doing up a scrapbook.” Leverock, who will play in Bermuda’s first ever World Cup game against 1996 champions Sri Lanka at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Thursday, is taking his newfound fame in his stride.

Indian Computer ‘Forecasts’

World Cup Scores

• In New Delhi, who says cricket matches are unpredictable? A business solutions company in Mumbai has devised a computer model that forecasts cricket scores with apparently astounding success.

The company, Fractal Analytics, scored a major hit by predicting West Indies’ underdog victory over Pakistan in the opening game of the World Cup on Tuesday.

Amazingly, it even forecast the exact scores of rival captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Inzamam ul-Haq of Pakistan.

Tuesday morning’s edition of the Mumbai-based Daily News and Analysis newspaper carried the predictions, based on what the company said was scientific analysis of players’ past performances. The forecast said: “West Indies will win in a tight finish and will put up a low score if they bat first.”

The West Indies, batting first, managed a moderate 241-9 after being 183-6 at one stage. Pakistan lost the game by 54 runs but were cruising at 99-3 and fought until the end through Shoaib Malik’s aggressive 62. The prediction correctly said Lara would make 37 and Inzamam 36.

Fractal Analytics, which specializes in predictive analysis of customer behavior for clients such as Visa and Citibank, devised the model to forecast cricket results just for fun. “We started this a few months back and found that the predictions actually came out true,” Mukesh Budania, a consultant with the firm, told AFP by telephone from Mumbai. “So we decided to be bold and give our predictions to a newspaper a day before the match.

“I can tell you the whole team in the office was jumping with joy last night when Lara got out for 37 and Inzamam for 36.” The model is based on the theory that the outcome of every game and the performance of every player depends, to a degree, on what the player or the team has done in the past.

Scotland’s Muslim Cricketer

Covers Up Beer Logo

In Edinburgh, Scottish Muslim cricketer Majid Haq made his World Cup debut yesterday with a beer manufacturer’s logo blacked out on his strip because of his strong anti-alcohol views.

The Scottish team, who were playing world champions Australia in St. Kitts, are sponsored by a brewery and the logo, Deuchars IPA, one of the country’s most popular ales, is on the arms of the players’ shirts. “It’s for religious reasons,” said Haq when he explained why the brewer’s name is missing from his strip. “We were on tour in Kenya in January when I first heard that Deuchars was going to be our shirt sponsor, and I just told Cricket Scotland straight away that I wouldn’t be able to wear their logos because of my religion. They respected my beliefs.” Euan McIntire, Scotland’s tour manager, told The Scotsman newspaper: “Majid felt that because of his religion it would not be appropriate to wear any branding promoting alcohol.

“As far as I understand he wasn’t unhappy about the situation, but just asked politely if there was any way he could avoid wearing the logos.

“Unfortunately, it came to our attention too late for the company that makes our merchandise to reprint the shirts specially for Majid.” Haq is not the first Muslim cricketer to take this form of action against alcohol sponsorship.

Hashim Amla, the South Africa batsman, refused to wear shirts emblazoned with Castle Lager logos on his Test debut in 2004.