Twenty20 Championship tickets selling fast

The World Twenty20 Championship tickets have been selling at a quick pace, according to reports in the South African media.

Around 22,000 tickets were sold on Thursday, the first day of the ticket sales, bringing the total number sold to 45,000, including preferential bookings, said News24.com.

The website cited sources reporting that Johannesburg recorded the highest number of sales with 15,000 tickets sold, followed by Cape Town at 4800 and Durban at 2400. Tickets for games involving South Africa and for the semi-finals and final were the most popular.

Steve Elworthy, the tournament's director said, "We are pleased to see that so many people have bought their tickets early and we certainly hope that sales increase for this inaugural event."

The organisers were hoping that the matches would be played in front of full-capacity audiences, after announcing low-cost tickets in keeping with Cricket South Africa's policy of making the game accessible to all.

The opening match of the tournament would be played on September 11 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg between South Africa and the West Indies. The Wanderers would also play host to the final on September 24.