Ever since the story of Sid Finch - which turned out to be an April Fool's hoax -- I've been skeptical of stories about superhuman pitchers.

But this piece in the Economist is different. It discusses an interesting new development in cricket -- The Rawalpindi Express.

He has a normal head, but nestling between his massive shoulders it seems small. He is Shoaib Akhtar, “the Rawalpindi Express”, the fastest recorded bowler of a cricket ball in history... From 22 yards, Mr Akhtar launches into the weirdly beautiful contortion that fast bowlers perform to hurl a six-ounce lump of cork and leather at up to 100mph (161kph). Half a second later, the ball demolishes the stumps.

For over two centuries, cricket has been played according to a largely unwritten code of honour for the practical reason that its laws are too complicated for officials to enforce to the letter. But technology has been rewriting the old etiquette. And according to some recent research, one of cricket's most basic laws is untenable, and now the game is in turmoil.

According to law 24.3, bowlers may not straighten their arm in the final act of delivering the ball. This leads to Mr Akhtar's brutal run-up and elaborate action as alternative means of generating pace on the ball. The centrality of law 24.3 to cricket—and the virtual impossibility of policing it—is reflected in the game's etiquette. To accuse a bowler of throwing the ball is one of the gravest insults in the game; yet now such accusations are flying thick and fast.

Mr Akhtar, the first man to bowl a delivery timed at 100mph, is one of a number of modern stars recently reported with “suspect actions”. These rulings followed research into biomechanics that match officials had hoped would vindicate their decision.

The rest of the story documents further problems with policing this sort of thing, despite the widespread understanding that it's happening. It's also interesting to see how tradition and etiquette can conflict with notions of fair play.