London: A few days ago, Pat Cummins was queried about some unresolved elements of the 2018 “Sandpapergate” series in South Africa by an English interviewer, and gave the blunt reply: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

One man with much fonder memories of that encounter is Aiden Markram, then early in his Test career. Markram was actually in the middle when the sandpaper incident unfolded in Cape Town. His security at the crease, amounting to 480 runs at 60 for the series, had helped drive Australia to ugly extremes.

Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey, right, reacts as South Africa’s Aiden Markram plays a shot on day three.Credit: AP

Those runs showed Markram to be a player of quality and character, after he had started the tour being goaded by David Warner for a run out in which AB de Villiers was dismissed in Durban.

Though South Africa lost the game, Markram’s 143 in the chase was a century of top class. By sculpting an unbeaten 102 in the company of his captain Temba Bavuma to pull the Proteas to within sight of a memorable World Test Championship victory at Lord’s, he has now played an innings to surpass it.

“We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt,” South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince said. “We know what he’s capable of.

“As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, the first thing [coach Shukri Conrad] said was ‘guys, you do the same as you do........

© The Sydney Morning Herald