Decline
After the tour of South Africa, Wilkinson's 1939 season was disappointing. A hand injury prevented him from playing early on in the season. He finished the year with 63 wickets at an average of 30.85, although he did manage career best figures of 8/53 against Hampshire in May 1939. Talking about why he thought he hadn't matched his success from the previous year, Wilkinson said "I don't know why but nothing really went right. The only thing I can think of is that I tried to be too perfect, particularly with the googly. I had an England cap and as an England player I had to be good".
The Second World War prevented Wilkinson from playing first-class cricket until 1946, although he did play for the army. His 1946 season was curtailed after just one match when he injured his the cartilage in his knee and had to undergo an operation. He returned to fitness in 1948 but only played two matches, taking a single wicket. He retired from first-class cricket, although continued to play cricket in local leagues. He became a newsagent and died on 3 September 2002. He was married and had two sons.
Read more about this topic: Len Wilkinson
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