ICC president David Morgan has declared England's hosting of the World Twenty20 "an overwhelming success".

ICC president David Morgan has declared England's hosting of the World Twenty20 "an overwhelming success".

Morgan praised the crowd sizes, with 96% of tickets sold in the tournament making it significantly more commercially successful than the inaugural event in South Africa in 2007, and also the thrilling cricket which they were treated to at Lord's, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton.

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in yesterday's showpiece final, with Charlotte Edwards' England side taking the women's crown to ensure some home success, but the entire tournament, from the well-attended warm-up matches onwards, was well received.

"For any event such as this to be successful it relies on the hard work of literally thousands of people but ultimately it will be judged by the quality of cricket that is presented to us by the players," said Morgan.

"And I think it's fair to say that in that regard, we have been royally treated over the past 17 days or so in England. The players brought this tournament alive with their innovation, passion, talent and commitment.

"They entertained us, thrilled us and occasionally even challenged our view of the game itself as they introduced new and wonderful feats of skill and athleticism that I for one had previously scarcely thought possible.

"Ticket sales were very encouraging, reflecting the enduring popularity of cricket despite the global economic situation. There was a 96% take-up of tickets for this event and certainly the atmosphere created by those large crowds formed part of why it was so successful.

"The England and Wales Cricket Board has been a great partner for the ICC in putting on this event. From the very start of this process it was clear that we were dealing with a committed group of people - led by our excellent tournament director Steve Elworthy - who were determined to put on the best possible event and they were clearly successful."

Morgan also believes the decision to run the men's and women's tournaments simultaneously, with the semi-finals and finals taking place at the same venues on the same day, was an inspired idea.

"One of the most encouraging things about this tournament was the link between the men's and women's games," he said.

"The increase in profile the women's game received from television exposure and the fact the men's and women's semi-finals and finals were played as double-headers was a great boost for the women's game and I believe will do wonders for growth in that area."