TORONTO, Feb 23: A Sargodha-born left-arm spinner Zahid Hussain has been included in Canada's senior team which will compete in the six-nation ICC Qualifying Tournament set to begin in UAE from Feb 29.

An official of Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) told Dawn on Monday that the 29-year-old Hussain qualified to play for his new adopted country after he fulfilled the requirement of living in Canada for three years. He has been playing regularly in Canada's Premier Division League ever since he migrated to Toronto with his family in 2000.

Zahid, a former bank employee, said: "It's an honour for me to play for Canada's national team." Dr Dan Keisel, a former physiotherapist of the Pakistan team, has also signed a contract with the CCA. He will accompany the 18-man Canadian squad which will leave here for Dubai on Tuesday.

Other teams taking part in the tournament are UAE, Scotland, Holland, USA and Namibia. The winner of the UAE event will qualify to play in the 12-nation ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England in September this year.

Led by all-rounder Joseph Harris, the Canadian team will play its first match against hosts UAE in Dubai on Feb 29. Ten matches of the tournament known as 'ICC Six Nations Challenge 2004' will be played in Dubai while remaining five matches will be held in Sharjah.

Meanwhile, the CCA held a grand reception in honour of the UAE-bound team in Toronto where the country's cricket boss Ben Sennik advised the team members to show sportsman spirit. "Cricket is a gentleman's game. Each one of you is expected to maintain high traditions of the game. Put in your best efforts for best results," he said.

Squad: Joseph Harris (captain), Ishwar Maraj, Desmond Chumney, Austin Codrington, Zubin Surkari, Ashish Patel, Zahid Hussain, Kevin Sandher, Sunil Dhaniram, Asif Mulla, Ashish Bagai, Don Maxwell, Ian Ronald and Shanta Jayasekera. Officials: Michael Henry (manager), Brian Mauricette (coach), Dan Keisel (physiotherapist) and Kantilal Patel (umpire).