Is that the Test mace South Africans see before them?

The most important figure in South Africa's ICC mace parade in Cape Town on Friday wasn't any of the players or the coaching staff. Who was he?

"Craig."

Last name?

"Steyn."

As in Dale?

"Yes. That's my middle name."

Craig Steyn is a fit man in his early 20s dressed in a polo shirt, chinos and sensible shoes. He is sharp and alert and focused, attributes he needed on Friday. Because he was the mace's personal security guard.

Whenever the 76-centimetre, five-kilogramme, gleaming, gold and silver lollipop wasn't in the hands of Temba Bavuma or his players, or the coaching staff, it was safe with Steyn - who wrapped it loosely in its soft grey cloth bag and cradled it tenderly.

Steyn looked like a man on a mission because that's what he was. Happily, it was easier to accomplish than it might have been.

South Africa beat Australia by five wickets in the WTC final to claim the mace - their first senior global trophy of any kind, won by men or women, since 1998. But they completed their triumph on June 14. That was 105 days ago. Their compatriots haven't forgotten that they won, but they have moved on with life.

So Cape Town's streets were hardly packed with well-wishers for the open-top bus ride the players and the mace - and of course Steyn - took through the city centre at lunchtime on a sun-struck Friday. Rather, pockets of fans here and there greeted the Proteas' passing parade. Some seemed to be taken by surprise to see the slow-moving show, among them a construction worker who overcame his confusion in time to offer a hearty salute.

Cape Town was the last stop on a tour that started in Kimberley on Tuesday and also visited Bloemfontein, Durban, Gqeberha, East London, King William's Town and Mdantsane. The crowd of around 500 who greeted the players and the mace at the start of the tour outside Cape Town City Hall on Friday was estimated to be the biggest of the week.

"Show me you know me," someone called out from behind the barricade as Temba Bavuma and several of his players appeared on a stage outside the grand edifice, which was designed in the Italian Renaissance-style and built of honeyed limestone from Bath. After speeches, the mace was lifted high as confetti showered down.

In November 2019, the Springboks also had a nationwide tour to celebrate hammering England 32-12 in the rugby World Cup final in Yokohama. Their buses were mobbed, the streets swarmed, the pavements were packed, the balconies of bars and restaurants were jammed with supporters who wanted to see their heroes in the flesh.

But the Boks hit Cape Town's streets nine days after annexing the William Webb-Ellis Cup for the third time. That's 96 days of difference compared to how the cricketers did it. Hence the underwhelming reception for the latter. Timing, it seems, really is everything. Was it too late to show off the mace?

Shukri Conrad didn't think so: "Like I always used to tell my daughters, better late than pregnant."

The reporters Conrad was talking to laughed heartily at his joke. But his message was serious: "We haven't lost the gees [spirit] and we haven't lost the feeling. It's great that we've had the opportunity to come out and show the country how much we appreciate them, and also for the country to come and show how much they appreciate us.

"I don't think it's ever going to be lost on us. And although we're going back more than a hundred days, it's come at the ideal time to kick off the next WTC cycle."

South Africa will start their defence of the mace against Pakistan in Lahore on October 12. This week was their only realistic opportunity to show off the trophy. Since their triumph they have played Tests in Zimbabwe - the first match started 14 days after Lord's - and ODIs and T20Is in Australia and England. From the first of those fixtures to the last covers 79 of those 105 days, or more than three-quarters. And that's without considering travel and acclimatisation time.

Simply, they haven't had a window to parade their prize. If CSA did drop the mace, it was in their lack of marketing of the tour. Small wonder people were surprised.

"We've had a tough two months in England and Australia," Conrad said. "But it's good to draw some inspiration, and this certainly gives us that."

Aiden Markram concurred: "It's been a busy few days. We've spent a lot of time flying and a lot of time on the bus, but it's been special to go through this and to share it with people from various cities.

 "I'm sure it would have been fun to do it soon after the match rather than now; when you're still living in that moment and still celebrating. But that's in an ideal world.

"We're getting ready for Pakistan, so we're not really letting our hair down. But that might be a blessing in disguise."

The international cricket bus doesn't stop for long anywhere anymore. When it does, be sure that Craig Steyn and his colleagues will be on hand to secure the silverware.