One of the abiding memories of the recent one-day series against Pakistan was the sight of Daniel Vettori warming up before the fourth match at Christchurch.
It was not so much that he was warming up that caught the eye, but precisely how he was warming up which caused a flurry of activity in the press-box.
Vettori, the world's best left-arm spinner and the youngest slow bowler in history to take 100 test wickets, was chucking.
Let's be clear on this, it was unadulterated biffing.
Employing an action which appeared to blend the best elements of Joe Montana and Roger Clemens, Vettori bowled at least three overs of his "variation" ball - which was similar to the wrong'uns delivered by Saqlain Mushtaq and Mutiah Muralitharan.
He did not go as far as using it in the game, but it seemed clear enough what was going on in the young man's head after the curiosities on show this season.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
So when it comes to the question of whether Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar should be allowed to continue with his suspect action, the choice facing the lawmakers seems to be becoming clearer by the day.
Either ensure the action is corrected or outlawed, or face the almost certain reality that if not, just about every successful bowler on the planet will soon be following suit.
Akhtar, who has more snap, crackle and pop in his action than a bowl of Kelloggs rice bubbles, has already been banned for throwing during his relatively short career, but escaped any meaningful rehabilitation because of the ICC's archaic system - and later because his own country's experts refused to accept there was anything amiss.
He will now head back to his homeland to be assessed by his countrymen once more, although it would not be a complete surprise if he once again received an unconditional clearance.
This is not solely because each country's throwing panel face a massive conflict of interest in reviewing their own players, but also because there is a difference between a bowler with a defective action, and a bowler who just throws some of the time.
That Akhtar throws occasionally is not in doubt; whether he throws all the time is a more interesting question, and if the answer is no, then it could be difficult to make any sweeping decisions on the issue.
International cricket is littered with pace bowlers who deliberately let loose the odd suspect delivery as a variation ball, and West Indian great Courtney Walsh is possibly one of the most talked-about exponents of the calculated throw.
Neither is New Zealand immune to such a ruse, with a couple of international bowlers (not Vettori) known for producing the occasional "special" delivery when desired.
It may well be that the ball is thrown, but when it comes to reviewing a bowler's action in general terms, it can be very difficult to make a binding ruling.
Of course, there is one other way in which the issue could be addressed quickly, efficiently, and with very little need for panels, committees and paperwork ...
It involves the square-leg umpire sticking his arm out at 90 degrees.
Cricket: Time to sort out mess blighting the game
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