Cricket fans will be able to watch the Ashes on the big screen at three Sydney venues from today.

Ashes live sites have been erected at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour in the city, and at Bondi Junction mall in Sydney's east.

The venues will show five live test matches between England and Australia as the Ashes series begins in Brisbane today.

It is the first time free viewing screens have been erected in the city for the Ashes.

Live site organiser Phillip Cook said the screens would telecast cricket 12 hours a day for 46 days during the entire Ashes series.

"A lot of it depends on the series, but if it's anything like the last series, I imagine the crowds will come in great numbers," Mr Cook said.

He said the Circular Quay site had been flooded with sports fans during Australia's Football World Cup campaign in June.

Australia was expecting 40,000 travelling English cricket fans for the Ashes series, he said.

"The reason we've chosen Bondi Junction is there's a pretty strong expatriate English contingent around the Bondi, Bronte and Coogee areas and Bondi Junction officially has the highest foot traffic in Sydney."

Mr Cook said organisers were expecting a daily average of about 5,000 viewers at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, 5,000 fans outside the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay and about 1,000 fans at Bondi Junction mall near Bronte Road.

Sydney company Screen Media Works has funded the live sites by selling broadcast advertising space for the telecasts.

In the days between test matches, Ashes highlights will be shown at the venues.

The screens will operate for 12 hours a day between 8am and 8pm (AEDT) for eastern states matches, and between 10am and 10pm for the Perth test.

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