As someone who played with Shane Bond in his first four tests eight years ago, I was delighted, and pleasantly surprised, by his return to the five-day game at Dunedin last week.
But his latest injury, which has put him out of the current test in Wellington and next week's
third match against Pakistan in Napier, leaves me wondering how long this comeback will last.
The strong suspicion is that his test days are numbered. My advice would be to turn his attention to the one-day game.
The quality of his bowling in Dunedin was no surprise. We've long known he has the ability to be among the very best, as a record of 87 wickets in 18 tests shows.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, a terrific batsman who has seen the best of the modern game, puts him among the finest he's played.
The aspect which did surprise me was his pace. He's 34, has been through the wringer in terms of injuries, and yet he was still able to get the ball through at about 150km/h.
If you're above 140km/h you're lively; touch 150km/h and that puts you in a different league.
Bond's performance in its own right was outstanding, but one point seemed to be missed by most commentators - his work created opportunities for the bowlers at the other end.
Take the eight wickets out of the equation for a moment.
If you watched the Pakistan batsmen, Bond's presence and pace made them change their game plan.
When he was bowling they were all pretty keen to get to the other end.
They were noticeably more aggressive against the other bowlers, which in turn meant they took more liberties against Chris Martin, Iain O'Brien and Daniel Vettori, and that led to more wicket-taking opportunities for those bowlers.
That is the great value of having Bond in the side - or anyone with the extra speed that can hurry the batsman.
It has been pointed out this week that, such is Bond's competitive spirit, it is hard to get him to dial back his speed a touch, save himself for the occasional "effort" ball.
But there's a problem with this argument.
For quick bowlers it's not as simple as, for example, bringing the arm over a fraction slower, or running in with less urgency to the crease.
These guys are either flat out or they're not there at all. It comes down to a variety of elements - rhythm, running stride, release of the ball and bounce. It is a whole package, and if a bowler is going at, say, 90 per cent, the ball doesn't spit off the pitch.
It is not what is known as a "heavy" ball, and there's no point in them playing if they constantly have to ease up on the speed.
Bond will recognise that, which is probably why he doesn't talk in those terms. For him it's all on, all the time.
He wants 100 test wickets, but then he should step away from the test game and concentrate on the ODIs and Twenty20, certainly if he fancies being around for another season or two.
It's a shame for Bond and New Zealand cricket, but it seems a no-brainer.
<i>Adam Parore</i>: Five days a big strain for a bowler as quick as Bond
Opinion by
As someone who played with Shane Bond in his first four tests eight years ago, I was delighted, and pleasantly surprised, by his return to the five-day game at Dunedin last week.
But his latest injury, which has put him out of the current test in Wellington and next week's
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