sport news STUART BROAD: Every day, Brendan McCullum says 'Morning, Hawk'. It's fair to ... trends now

The Oval holds a strong place in a lot of players' hearts because you end home summers there, and — if you are lucky enough — it's the place you celebrate Test series wins. And the one over South Africa was special for lots of reasons.

First, we were able to pay our respects following Her Majesty's death, and the pin-drop silence in a ground full of 25,000 people before play and being a part of singing God Save the King for the first time in a sporting venue will live long in the memories of both myself and all of the players involved.

Fittingly, we then produced a fine Test match performance to secure a win in just over two days.

It capped what has felt like the most incredible summer for me because without trampling over old ground, I was as close as I've ever been to never experiencing that winning feeling again on international cricket field with the way I felt back in March.

I was pretty devastated after being left out of the tour of West Indies and I think what that made me do was allow me to value everything that subsequently came my way.

What has made it so memorable — yes, six wins out of seven is incredible, yes credit must go Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes for the creation of a different style of cricket — is being part of a team in which every single player can look back and say: 'I've contributed at some stage to a Test match win.'

On a personal level, it's probably fair to say I have lightened up a bit, been less structured with my approach, relaxed and had more fun. I've really enjoyed that aura Brendon and Stokes have brought to the team.

On the field, I have been part of a bowling group that just thinks about getting 10 wickets as quickly as possible, not worrying about the economy rate at all, and that actually takes some pressure off.

You keep four slips at all times, and if you're going at six an over, you know that no one in the changing room or on the field is going 'Oh God, he's getting whacked.'

We've all bought into the game plan. If I bowl and get hit for four or six, I'm fine because I know it's not fours or sixes that matter, it's the wickets column and so to take 29 and finish as the leading wicket taker for the team for the summer means I've contributed positively.

It was also an honour to go beyond Glenn McGrath's career Test wicket tally on our final bowling day of the summer. McGrath was a hero of mine, someone I imitated in the garden, and the reason I wanted to become a bowler.

It's incredible to be up there in his sort of company and to be in a one-two with my great mate Jimmy Anderson as the most prolific seamers in Test cricket. It also raised a smile or two that I took the 564th wicket on the fourth anniversary of Jimmy going past Glenn.

During the celebrations, I put on my 'You Have To Call Me Night Hawk' T shirt. It's a line Will Ferrell comes out with in the film Step Brothers. I wore it at Lord's at the start of the South Africa series and the lads found it funny, so it got another outing.