I think there is confusion over the SYNC signal. It doesn't switch between SPI and 'UART like' modes, it acts as a reset to synchronize the data transfer if the clock is continuous. Normal SPI would only send clock pulses during the data transfer, if I'm reading the data sheet correctly, the clock can be continuous on this device and SYNC can be used to 'frame' the transfer.
I confess I have never used one so this is gleaned from a quick glance at the data sheet.
Brian.