The Oval is the second ground to be recommended by the ECB (Getty Images)

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced it is recommending The Oval cricket ground as a second venue for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England.

The ground will be put forward as the host of warm-up, group and Super 8 matches as well as a semi-final.

Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon told BBC London 94.9: "We're thrilled. We've spent a lot of time on the bid process over the last few months."

The news comes after the ECB announced it is backing Lord's to host the final.

Interview: Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon

The Oval is no stranger to hosting Twenty20 matches as Surrey have a good record in the domestic game.

The Browncaps hosted and won the inaugural tournament in 2003 and have since made finals day on three occasions.

Sheldon added: "We are perhaps the home of Twenty20 cricket. We run it nicely, we have a fantastic atmosphere and of course have wonderful attendance.

"The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been very much behind our bid and [it is great] for Lambeth, the borough that we are in, which is regenerating itself and changing very fast.

"It's wonderful for all these reasons for this area to have it and for London as a whole with the Olympics only three years away."