Twenty20 title-fight worries Symonds

Andrew Symonds believes it is a shame that Twenty20 is being legitimised to the point of staging a World Championship and says Australia would prefer to keep having fun with the concept. Symonds said his team-mates had viewed previous Twenty20 internationals as "a bit of a spectacle" but they would need to take their must-win attitude to South Africa in September.

"The thing people love about Twenty20 is that it's fun and fresh, but it's also not played that often," Symonds told the Daily Telegraph. "It's a good thing as long as it's not taken that seriously. Now there's a World Cup it's obviously going to be taken seriously. That might be a bit of a shame."

Symonds's comments have come a week after Nathan Bracken also expressed his concerns about the World Championship and said Australia should not get too stressed over the tournament. Symonds said the players, like the fans, enjoyed the laid-back nature of Twenty20 matches.

"The best part is having the captains wired up for TV and being able to play with the kids on the boundaries," he said. "We'll lose all that because everyone will take it seriously."

So far Symonds has enjoyed his Twenty20 international experience - he has played four matches and made 125 runs from 63 balls at an average of 62.50. Australia's World Championship begins with group matches against Zimbabwe and England in Cape Town but to win the 12-team competition they will need to play a further five games.