Feature
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 74 runs in World T20 tune-up match
Mumbai:Colin Munro and Corey Anderson struck quickfire half-centuries as New Zealand registered a convincing 74-run victory against Sri Lanka in the warm up match of the World Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday.
Munro (67) and Anderson (60 retired out) powered New Zealand to a mammoth total of 226/4 in 20 overs.
In reply, Lankan batsmen failed to impress as they could manage only 152/7 in 20 overs. Adam Milne (3-26) and Ish Sodhi (2-19) were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand.
Chasing a challenging target of 227, Lanka got off to a disappointing start losing experienced batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan (0) in the second over itself off the bowling off Corey Anderson.
His opening partner and skipper Dinesh Chandimal (8) too did not last long as he was cleaned bowled by pacer Adam Milne in the fifth over to have Lanka struggling at 19/2.
But Lahiru Thirimanne (41) and Chamara Kapugedera (38) held on for the third wicket to help team cross 80-run mark.
But with the dismissal of both the batsmen, Lanka lacked quality in the middle order as wickets fell at regular intervals to have them short off the New Zealand total.
Earlier on opting to bat, New Zealand openers Martin Guptill (41) and Kane Williamson (10) got off to a modest start. But seamer Suranga Lakmal brought the first breakthrough for the side dismissing skipper Williamson in the fourth over.
After striking six fours and one six in his 25-ball innings, Guptill fell to seamer Dasun Shanaka in eighth over to have team at 67/2 in 7.3 overs.
From there on it was entirely incoming batsman Munro’s show as he hit seven huge sixes in his 34-ball knock to take team’s score past 100 in the tenth over itself.
The left-handed batsman Munro was well supported in the other end by Anderson. The duo struck 92-run partnership for the third wicket to take side past 140 in 13th over.
But in the 15th over of the innings, Shanaka got the dangerous batsman Munro caught to have the Kiwis at 159/3 in 14.2 overs.
Next up, Anderson took the initiative ahead to hit five sixes and four fours alongside Grant Elliott (36 not out) to help team past the 200-run mark.
For Lanka, Shanaka (2-48) was the pick of the bowlers.
Brief scores: New Zealand 226/4 in 20 overs (Colin Munro 67, Corey Anderson 60 retired out; Dasun Shanaka 2-48) vs Sri Lanka 152/7 in 20 overs (Lahiru Thirimanne 41; Adam Milne 3-26, Ish Sodhi 2-19)
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
Lockdowns in China Force Urban Communities to Defy Censorship and Vent Frustration Online
What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
