But West Indies Test debutant Devon Thomas can thank the skills he honed on the beaches of the Caribbean for his surprise bowling prowess in the city of churches this week.

That Thomas is even playing in the two-match Test series against Australia is a surprise; at 33, there were times he thought his chance to represent West Indies had been and gone.

But that the back-up wicketkeeper is bowling spin is even more of a shock, and points to a debilitating injury crisis that has claimed pacemen Kyle Mayers, Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach and Marquino Mindley as its victims.

"I hadn't bowled in five months (before the tour)," Thomas said.

"So coming here, I'm a bit stiff."

Most surprising of all is that the relatively unknown gloveman finished the first innings of the second Test as West Indies' best bowler with 2-53 from his 14 overs.

For comparison, bowlers Anderson Phillip and Roston Chase finished with figures of 0-115 and 0-117, respectively, and worse economies than Thomas.

The debutant first dismissed star opener Usman Khawaja on 62 to give his side a much-needed breakthrough on day one.

"When I got a first wicket, Khawaja, I looked at his stats and realised he averages 91 (Khawaja averages 85.08 this year). So he was a good first wicket," Thomas said.

But Thomas wasn't done there; on day two, he dispatched probable player of the series Marnus Labuschagne (163) just as he looked primed to collaborate with Travis Head on an impossibly large total.

His bowling feats haven't come completely out of nowhere, though.

"I used to play and bowl on the beach, I used to play a lot of beach cricket," Thomas said.

"I started my career bowling off-spin but then after a wicketkeeper got injured, I said I'd take up wicketkeeping from there.

"I was bowling in the nets, I think in 2016 I bowled to Australia in the nets in Antigua when they had a tour there.

"I got a few wickets. They didn't want to face me at the time. I bowled a lot quicker."

Thomas's dismissal of Khawaja was enough to pique the interest of injured Australian paceman Pat Cummins, who approached him in the warm-up ahead of day two.

"He was just telling me, what else can you do? If I could dance as well as bowling, 'keep," Thomas explained.

"I said I could dance ... but I can't sing."

Australian Associated Press