Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer blasts match referee for Kanpur fiasco

Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer has lashed out at match referee Roshan Mahanama for lacking in "common sense" which resulted in the third one-dayer between India and England at Kanpur being decided by Duckworth/Lewis system.

Fading light at the Green Park led to the match ending nine overs short to hand India a 16-run win which left England captain Kevin Pietersen fuming and Engineer said it was not the BCCI's fault but that of the ICC and its match referee.

"It's not the BCCI's fault or any of the teams' fault, it is the ICC's fault. They have two experienced umpires there and a match referee sitting in his cosy room watching the TV all day.

"Kanpur has good (floodlights) lights and they should have been used. Why couldn't Roshan Mahanama use his common sense, brought both captains together and said let's finish this with the lights on. They should also have started earlier and had a shorter break in between innings. These things need to be looked into as it is not a good advert for cricket," Engineer said.

"Somebody somewhere needs his backside kicking big time. Ian Botham said on air that whoever came up with the rule to end a game like that should not be given another job and I have never heard a truer statement," he added.

Engineer also spoke highly of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership and wicketkeeping abilities and said watching the India captain in action reminds him of his playing days.

"He is my blue-eyed boy. He reminds me so much of myself. His mannerisms, his batting, his ability to change a game, his wicketkeeping, I really have been impressed with him and how he has improved," Engineer told 'Cricketnirvana'.