Len Wilkinson - Success and England Selection

Success and England Selection

In the 1938 English cricket season, his first and only full season, Wilkinson took 151 wickets in 36 games at an average of 23.28, and earned selection for England's tour of South Africa in 1938/39. In his first eight games of the season, all in May, he took only 16 wickets at an average of about 40. He improved the following month, taking his first hat-trick, a feat he managed against Sussex. He had a remarkable August in which he took 58 wickets from in the last nine games of the season. He managed 11 five wicket hauls and two ten wicket hauls in the season, gaining the notice of the national selectors. Wilkinson was awarded his cap by Lancashire in the same season. Wilkinson was 21 at the time, and only Yorkshire spinner Wilfred Rhodes has managed to take more wickets at a younger age (Rhodes was 20 when he took 154 wickets in 1898).

On the tour, there were three more senior spinners than Wilkinson: Tom Goddard, Hedley Verity, and Doug Wright. Despite this, Wilkinson debuted in the first Test of the series, being chosen ahead of Wright to play against South Africa (the other two spinners played in the match). He was the fifth bowler England used, turned to ahead of Goddard and finished with match figures of 2/111. Wilkinson did not play the second Test, but played in the third and fourth, finishing with match figures of 4/115 and 1/45 respectively on pitches that were considered perfect for batting. Although the selectors lost confidence in Wilkinson's bowling after he managed seven wickets at 38.71 in Tests, he finished the tour top of the bowling averages with 44 wickets at an average of 18.86.