Lee watches Twenty20's rise from joke to juggernaut

Having witnessed the evolution of Twenty20 from its formative days, Australia seamer Brett Lee admits that his team's attitude towards the format has evolved over the years.

As part of the Australian team in New Zealand in 2005, Lee played in the first T20 international. To call it hit and giggle would have been to overstate the seriousness of the occasion. Donning retro uniforms and encouraged to grow their hair out or sport headbands, the two teams were there to entertain, and seemed unaware of the financial juggernaut the format would become.

"Certainly the players think that and I think the public are now starting to realise that it is the third format of the game," Lee told AAP.

"It's a very important format of the game. It used to be, reading through the press and probably from us as well in '04-05, a bit of a hit and giggle which it probably was back then because nobody knew how to take it on or what to do."

Attitudes have changed greatly in the space of six years, culminating in the launch of the T20 Big Bash League in Australia. Lee said this reflected a greater understanding of public interest in the format.