Worcs 63-0 - 30 off the over!published at 4 overs

4 overs

Hastings 39, Clarke 22

Carnage. Absolute carnage.

Colin de Grandhomme comes into the attack and John Hastings launches him for four sixes into the leg side.

Three of them were flat as you like.

Hastings has raced up to 39 off just 13 balls. Wow.

This is some start from Worcestershire and Joe Clarke.

The 21-year-old ramps Keith Barker over the wicketkeeper's head to the rope and then creams him through the off-side for another boundary.

The Rapids are rattling along at 11 an over.

Bosh!

Joe Clarke smashes Boyd Rankin over square for two sixes in the over.

Such clean hitting from the youngster. 14 runs come from Boyd's first set of six.

Keith Barker opens up for the Bears.

Big John Hastings and Joe Clarke are opening for the Rapids and Hastings finds the boundary with a slash to third man.

Tight over otherwise from Barker.

As ever you guys have the chance to have your say as the evening unfolds.

You can post your musings on Twitter using #bbccricket

Image source, Getty Images

Birmingham Bears coach Ashley Giles has spoken a lot recently about the club undergoing a "transformation process". Tonight we will see that idea put into action.

Dom Sibley makes his debut for the Bears after an immediate loan deal was agreed with Surrey. He joins fellow new signing Adam Hose in the side, with the former Somerset batsman having posted scores of 76 and 19 in his first two T20 Blast matches.

With local lad Aaron Thomason having been crucial to the dramatic win over Northants Steelbacks last time out, the Bears' new order looks in good nick.

Image source, Getty Images

It's fair to say the hosts come into this derby as the favourites. Birmingham Bears have won their last four T20 Blast fixtures to move up to second on 13 points in the North Group table. The Worcestershire Rapids have struggled in the shortest format and are eighth with just two wins from eight games heading into this match.

The Bears also won the reverse fixture by eight wickets at New Road and will be buoyed by a boisterous Friday night crowd tonight too.

Good news! The weather is behaving itself in Birmingham, meaning that we should not encounter the kind of problems which have seen 15 T20 Blast fixtures this season end with the disappointing 'no result' conclusion.

Needless to say, if you're a club cricketer with a game tomorrow you might not be so lucky.

Bears skipper Ian Bell has won the toss and elected to bowl first at Edgbaston, perhaps looking to make the most of their wealth of bowling options.

They'll be keen to see the back of Rapids' opener Joe Clarke, who smashed an unbeaten 124 to bring an eight-wicket win against Durham in their last match.

The teams are as follows:

Birmingham Bears: Bell (c), Sibley, Hain, Hose, De Grandhomme, Elliott, Thomason, Barker, Mellor, Patel, Rankin.

Worcestershire Rapids: Mitchell, Clarke, Cox, Hastings, Santner, D'Oliveira, Whiteley, Leach (c), Barnard, Tongue, Brown.

Image source, Getty Images

North Group

• Durham Jets v Yorkshire Vikings (18:30 BST start)
• Leicestershire Foxes v Lancashire Lightning (18:30 BST start)
• Derbyshire Falcons v Nottinghamshire Outlaws (19:00 BST start)
• Birmingham Bears v Worcestershire Rapids (19:00 BST start)

South Group

• Surrey v Glamorgan (18:30 BST start)
• Gloucestershire v Somerset (19:00 BST start)
• Hampshire v Essex Eagles (19:00 BST start)
• Kent Spitfires v Sussex Sharks (19:00 BST start)

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Friday's eight T20 Blast matches.

This evening's feature game is the local derby between Birmingham Bears and Worcestershire Rapids at Edgbaston - there will be live text and in-play clips from that match starting in about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, three other matches are about to start and you can tune in to ball-by-ball radio commentary by clicking on the links at the top of this page.

Image source, Rex Features