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Rogers' club teammate ruins hundred hope

Chris Rogers named and shamed Melbourne club teammate Daniel Salpietro as the irresponsible fan who disrupted play immediately before he was dismissed 16 runs shy of a maiden Test hundred.

Salpietro denied he was at fault for standing up in the pavilion behind the bowlers' arm as his Prahran teammate Rogers prepared to face Graeme Swann.

He blamed an Old Trafford steward for the incident.

But the 25-year-old Salpietro was captured on television guzzling a beer and giving a thumbs up to the cameras as Rogers trudged off the field for 84.

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Salpietro was tweeting throughout the day and boasted hashtags of #freeale, #hospitalitysuite and #freebar.

Australian opener Rogers saw the funny side after play, and didn't blame Salpietro, but made it clear he had his number and would be seeking an explanation.

Sitting behind the bowlers' arm in the members pavilion, Salpietro's movement forced Rogers to step away and for play to be paused.

Rogers' concentration was broken, and when Swann strode in to finally deliver the ball, the left-hander was trapped plumb for 84 playing across the line.

"These things crop up every now and again. I'll make a phone call because I know the guy who was up there," he said.

"I'm not going to blame him ... I think ... much."

The members pavilion at Old Trafford used to stand square of the wicket, and Rogers would be wishing Lancashire had never changed the configuration of the ground.

Constant disruptions behind the bowlers' arm from ignorant fans and inept stewards had marred the opening session and a half, and the mess eventually culminated in the Salpietro incident.

Identified by the television cameras, Salpietro copped a hammering on Twitter, before speaking out and defending himself.

Salpietro has played one domestic one-day match for Victoria, as well as a handful of Big Bash matches.

He blamed the stewards.

"What actually happened was really down to the steward in the pavilion. The players wanted the door near me closing but he didn't seem to grasp what was going on," he said.

"It had happened a few times over the previous overs and the steward was still not doing anything about it despite me and (fellow cricketer) Jon Wells telling him that the door needed closing and people had to be stopped from walking through.

"So I decided to take it into my own hands to stand up and close the door and that's when the camera caught me - and I guess it makes it worse because it was Chris who was distracted and then he got out.

"We are teammates in club cricket back home and I will have to phone Chris tonight.

"I'm sure he will see the funny side of the situation eventually.

"I've been copping a bundle of stick on Twitter ... but honestly it wasn't my fault."