The phenomenal success of the BBL has scored a fresh wave of cricketing fans attracted to the high-octane nature of the game and its family-friendly environment, which has boosted attendances to record levels and television viewership across the globe.

But Watson, one of Australia's greatest T20 exponents, says it's important today's children also develop a passion for cricket's purest form.

"The biggest challenge is to really be able to transition that love of the game of cricket into kids still wanting to play Test cricket," Watson said.

"It is the ultimate challenge, that's where you want to challenge yourself against the best players in the world in Test cricket, but also all the cricketers that have gone before you because that's really the best guide to where you're at as a cricketer throughout your career.

"It's an incredible product that Cricket Australia have put together with the Big Bash. To be able to see so many young families come along and stay there until the last ball's bowled and enjoy every moment of it, it's a great way to be able to engage the young cricketers.

"When they come through to being late teens, early 20s, that will be the time when we really see how much of a pull T20 cricket has had and whether it's really changed the direction of what the priorities are for younger cricketers who are coming into domestic and first-class cricket."

Watson's BBL campaign ended last week when the Thunder were comprehensively beaten by the Adelaide Strikers at home, but he's contracted to play on for at least another season.

The recently retired international earned the Australian T20 player of the year crown after scoring 298 runs at 49.67 and taking nine wickets at 21.78 across nine matches during the voting period.

And while Watson has emphatically declared he's fully retired from Australian duties, he doesn't plan to stop playing T20 cricket any time soon.

"For me playing franchise cricket means that I can still get a fix of playing the game that I love in front of a lot of people at stadiums and I don't have the pressures of playing international cricket and everything that comes with that," Watson said.

"When you go out to play you have some good games and you have some horrific games as well where you just want to dig yourself a hole and bury yourself in it, but that's the beauty, that you're able to come back pretty much straight away in the T20 tournaments to be able to have another go."