Faced with the prospect of making his Jamaica Scorpions debut against Guyana Harpy Eagles in the sixth-round, regional, first class cricket match, batsman Javaughn Buchanan says while there are some nerves, he is itching to get the opportunity.

“If I get the chance I know there will be some nerves before going out there but once I step across the line, I will be switched on and ready to do battle,” the 30-year-old left-hander said on the eve of the four-day match which is scheduled to start this morning at Sabina Park.

“I’m feeling a lot of emotions at the moment. I don’t think it has sunk in yet. All that I’ve done over the years has culminated in this moment and I’m just really looking forward, if given the chance, to show what I can do,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Buchanan, a compact top-order batsman who plays for Kingston Cricket Club locally, is one of three changes to the Scorpions 13-member squad which featured in the defeat to Leeward Islands Hurricanes in late March.

Also included in the Scorpions set-up are batsman Justin Beckford and pace-bowling all-rounder Andre McCarthy, aged 19 and 23, respectively.

The players left out are out-of-form former West Indies Test Vice-Captain Jermaine Blackwood, fellow batsman Leroy Lugg and left-arm finger spinner Jeavor Royal.

In five matches this season, the Scorpions have won twice and lost three times. The batting department has been the major cause for concern, with the top order regularly capitulating only for the middle and lower order to launch a face-saving exercise.

Buchanan acknowledged the tough task ahead of him.

“I would love to provide the team with consistent starts that will lay the foundation for a good score,” he said.

“It’s a big challenge because these guys at the [first-class] level would naturally be a step above what you’re used to seeing at the club level week in, week out. These are the best crop of players pooled together in one team, so I do expect the challenge to be there, but it’s one I’m looking forward to with regards to testing my own abilities,” he added.

Buchanan has been a consistent performer over the years for both Kingston CC and his previous team The University of the West Indies in the Senior Cup, the country’s top-tier competition for clubs, parishes and affiliates.

But so far this season, he has failed to reach three figures, scoring four half-centuries for Kingston, including a best of 83.

He said training with the more experienced Jamaica Scorpions players in recent weeks has actually kept him quite sharp even if it is not reflected in the quantity of runs he has scored.

“It hasn’t been the best season I’ve had so far where my conversion rate is concerned. I’ve had starts in most of the games I played. However, I can say that a lot of what I’ve learnt since being a part of the senior set-up is showing in the Senior Cup — and that’s something I’m looking to build on in whatever [first class] games I’m a part of going forward,” he explained.