“Actually walked up to McCullum and said, ‘Please explain this to me’” - Kevin Pietersen dumbfounded by England’s Edgbaston declaration
It’s been a few days since Australia beat England by two wickets in the pulsating Ashes 2023 opening encounter at Edgbaston.
Former player Kevin Pietersen, though, is yet to get over the hosts’ decision to declare their first innings on Day 1. Saying that he's still dumbfounded, Pietersen said that he even approached England coach Brendon McCullum to try and find out the logic behind the move.
Sticking to their Bazball theory, England declared their first innings on Day 1 at 393-8. The move, though, came back to haunt the hosts, as they were bowled out for 273 in their second innings. Set to chase 281, Australia sneaked home in a tense finish.
In an interaction with former England captain Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail, Pietersen discussed Ben Stokes’ Day 1 declaration in the opening Test of Ashes 2023, which remains a matter of massive debate. While admitting that he likes England's high-intensity approach in Test cricket, the former batter said:
“We are at a time where Test cricket needs something to turn itself around because there is so much competition. But I am answering this slowly because I am still not 100 per cent sure … No, I would never have declared. Because against Australia, first day of the Ashes, 393, thinking you’ve got enough on a flat wicket.
“There was almost method in my madness. The way that I played, I wasn’t looking to throw the game away. I was looking to get the score going. I was looking to win. I’m just not 100 per cent convinced yet in how extremely positive,” the former player added.
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On his interaction with England Test coach McCullum over the hosts’ premature declaration, Pietersen said:
“I love the positivity. But it’s just this series, in particular, that I still need to get my head around. I actually walked up to McCullum on the Saturday and said, ‘Please explain this to me because I don’t understand it’.
"I have done that my whole career. I gave you a spray in Australia in 2006. I was like, ‘Dude what are you saying, and why are you saying this?’.”
England won the toss in the Edgbaston Test and batted first. Joe Root was unbeaten on 118 off 152 when Stokes asked his batters to shut shop.
“I think that is a big thing for an individual” - Pietersen on current England team having good support mechanism
While he disagreed with England’s timing of declaration, Pietersen agreed that the current bunch of cricketers are getting a lot more support from the coach and captain than players during his playing days. Speaking about its significance, he said:
“I think that is a big thing for an individual. We both played in eras where if you got caught at cover having a flash, or caught at deep square leg, you got into a lot of trouble. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. And I think that’s how you get the best out of an individual.”
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England and Australia will meet in the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s on June 28.