For me I remember the "sling" action to kind of be a bit of a dirty move because you can really hurt someone when they're off balance if you want to. Especially with some of the cricket pitches in April.
Was it quicker, maybe it was. I think you would dispose of it immediately when tackled (talking 90s). A 360 tackle would never happen (a player holding on to the ball looking for options).
That's my experience.