College teachers and students took to the streets on Monday demanding the arrest of the Ranatungas the sons

College teachers and students took to the streets on Monday demanding the arrest of the Ranatungas, the sons of a powerful cabinet minister.Ranatunga’s mother Nandanie said her children were not in the house at the time of the clash. “I don’t know who hit the schoolboys but it wasn’t my sons because they were not in the house at the time,” she said, adding that her staff had been harassed by the boys.”There was an argument and there was a scuffle, but Arjuna was not present then. He came much later and was never involved in any of the things that are being alleged against him,” his mother said.Ranatunga, who was stripped of the captaincy after Sri Lanka failed to defend the World Cup in 1999, retired last year after becoming the only player to take the field in both his country’s inaugural and centenary Tests. He was also one of nine former international captains named by an Indian police probe into cricket’s match-fixing scandal but has denied any wrong-doing..

Injured opening batsman Saeed Anwar has been ordered to fly home from New Zealand following directives given to the tour management by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Injured opening batsman Saeed Anwar has been ordered to fly home from New Zealand following directives given to the tour management by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Anwar, who strained his groin while fielding during Pakistan’s loss to New Zealand A at Christchurch, was ruled out of the series–opening test but was expected to be fit in time for the second test.But according to team manager Fakir Aizazuddin, the 52–test veteran has been told to quit the tour immediately.”We have been asked by our Board to send Saeed home. They want him to come home, rest and be fit for a heavy international commitment we have over the next few months,” Fakir said.Anwar joins a list of other casualties from the tour, with allrounders Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood leaving New Zealand.Also ruled out of the tour was fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar with strained quadriceps on his left thigh.Adding to Pakistan’s cricket problems, Shoaib, regarded as one of the two fastest bowlers in the world, was cited by umpires Doug Cowie and Steve Dunne for chucking in the limited–overs series decider in Dunedin.New Zealand grabbed a come–from–behind 3–2 series win.After completing this three–test series in New Zealand, Pakistan will play a three–nation limited–overs competition in Sharjah in April before touring England in the mid–year. The tour will involve two tests against England and a limited–overs series involving Australia and England.Pakistan will host New Zealand in a three Test series in September.Also injured in the current side is vice captain and most experienced batsman Inzamam–ul–Haq, who also has a groin strain.Inzamam, who batted for the first time in two weeks complained of soreness and was left out of the side for the Test series opener, which started today.The tourists have already been reinforced by the arrival of rookie batsmen Misbah–ul–Haq, Faisal Iqbal and medium paceman Fazl–e–Akbar.Also joining the team is the experienced right–hander Ijaz Ahmed as Saeed’s replacement..

England lost openers Michael Atherton and Marcus Trescothick early, but Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe steadied the innings with a century partnership to take the score to 154 for two shortly after lunch on the second day of the Second Test against Sri Lanka. England lost openers Michael Atherton and Marcus Trescothick early, but Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe steadied the innings with a century partnership to take the score to 154 for two shortly after lunch on the second day of the Second Test against Sri Lanka.
The tourists plan to challenge Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 297 all out suffered its first setback with the loss of Atherton.Atherton (7) got off the mark by cutting left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa to the boundary but was out in the third over when he was adjudged leg-before wicket to Chaminda Vaas as England slipped to 16 for one.Hussain was fortunate to survive before he had opened his account, playing and missing with a wild slash outside off-stump in the next over from Vaas.Trescothick made 23 from 49 balls before he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off the bowling of spinner Kumar Dharmasena.Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya finally called upon prolific off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the 10th over of the day as Sri Lanka increased the pressure.But Hussain and Thorpe added 78 runs in 59 minutes to rescue the innings, bring the total to 115 for two at lunch.Hussain remained unbeaten on 52, with Thorpe not out 48.Sri Lanka won the first Test by an innings and 28 runs and leads the three-Test series 1-0.. Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan notched half centuries today as Pakistan reached stumps at 270 for four on the first day for the series–opening Test against New Zealand. Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan notched half centuries today as Pakistan reached stumps at 270 for four on the first day for the series–opening Test against New Zealand.
The much talked about portable pitch, used for the first time in Test cricket, played to Pakistan’s liking as New Zealand’s decision to send the tourists into bat backfired.Younis blazed an unbeaten 91 on a paceless pitch lacking in bounce, wresting the initiative from the home side with the help of Faisal Iqbal, 42 in almost three hours.After some ordinary shots before and after lunch had reduced Pakistan to 138 for four, Younis and test rookie Faisal, the 18–year–old nephew of coach Javed Miandad, put on an unbeaten 132–run fifth wicket stand.The batting lineup, weakened in the absence of the injured Saeed Anwar and Inzamam–ul–Haq, was bolstered by the young guns of Pakistan cricket – three of them making their debuts.While Imran Farhat made an impressive 23, the new number three Misbah–ul–Haq, scored a stylish 28 in just over to hours.But Faisal stole the attention, the right–hander was called into action less than 24 hours after arriving in New Zealand and then produced an innings of maturity.Younis was uncharacteristically aggressive in his 10th Test appearance and raced to his second test half century off just 65 balls.He hit off spinner Paul Wiseman out of the attack soon after the tea break, taking 16 runs – 4, 6 and 4 – to post his half century before settling down to consolidate Pakistan’s day.Younis, who had hit two centuries in his previous 14 innings, was also helped by some shoddy New Zealand fielding as he was dropped off the part–time medium pace of Craig McMillan on five and 64.At stumps he had hit two sixes and 14 boundaries off 137 balls in an innings that has lasted five minutes under three hours.Skipper Stephen Fleming was made to rue his decision to bowl first as his medium pace attack, with the exception of Daryl Tuffey, failed to trouble this inexperienced batting lineup.Youhana (51), the only other senior batsman in the side, dominated a 78–run third wicket stand with Misbah after Pakistan had lost the two openers in the space of six runs after a solid 46–run opening stand.But a rash shot, three balls after he had reached his 12th Test 50, cost him his wicket when he edged Chris Martin to Adam Parore, giving the wicketkeeper his third catch of the innings.Misbah, who had taken 18 balls to score his first run, was one of the two wickets to fall in the post lunch session, as Pakistan lost two quick wickets.. As Arsenal digested the ramifications of their late 1-0 victory over Spartak Moscow and began looking forward to the final Champions’ League Group C match at Bayern Munich next Wednesday, the most encouraging sign to emerge was the current plight of the German champions.

As Arsenal digested the ramifications of their late 1-0 victory over Spartak Moscow and began looking forward to the final Champions’ League Group C match at Bayern Munich next Wednesday, the most encouraging sign to emerge was the current plight of the German champions.
A win or draw for Bayern in Lyon on Tuesday would have sent them through to the quarter-final with Arsenal. But although the French side’s 3-0 victory brought understandable groans when announced at Highbury, it also led to a withering blast from Bayern’s president, Franz Beckenbauer “It was a disgrace,” he said “To play worse than that is just not possible. From the stand it looked even worse than down on the pitch.”It wasn’t Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United, it was Lyon. And if we continue to play like that, we have no chance in the Champions’ League Time is running out, it’s five to midnight. Now it will be a really hot affair against Arsenal, who are very quick. And today you could see our not-so-quick defence, standing 15 yards away from their man.”That should be music to the ears of the speedy Thierry Henry, who admitted he should have been taken off against Spartak after a poor personal performance, but redeemed himself by by heading the only goal. “Bayern are not playing well at the moment so maybe it will be the right moment for us to play them,” he said.

“Now they are in danger [of not qualifying] and when you are scared to play, it is never good. We will definitely go there to win.”Arsenal cannot afford to adopt any other attitude, unless they hear that Lyon are losing heavily in Moscow That seems unlikely since Spartak have nothing to play for. Bayern still top the group, and need only a draw; Arsÿne Wenger’s team must win if Lyon do, but will qualify if the French side fail to take all three points.Should Arsenal fail, they will look back in anger and regret the home games against Bayern and Lyon: both visiting teams left Highbury with a point after having fallen behind. A third home draw seemed likely until Henry’s late intervention. On a night when his team’s composure deserted them, a game played at the pace of an FA Cup tie was good practice, possibly, for Saturday’s quarter-final at Highbury but not the best approach for the greater subtleties of European competition.”In the first half, it was the quickest game I’ve ever seen at Highbury, just madness,” Wenger said.