‘I walked up to McCullum and said that please explain this to me’: Kevin Pietersen on England’s declaration in Edgbaston

England made a bold declaration in the first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston.
The decision to declare with a few overs remaining on the first day surprised many, since Joe Root was still unbeaten and England had two wickets in hand.
The declaration was met with mixed reactions from the cricket world. Some pundits praised Stokes for his boldness, while others criticized him
Former England player Kevin Pietersen revealed his thoughts on Ben Stokes’ Day 1 declaration.
In an interaction with former England captain Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail, he 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,” he added.
“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?’.”