Oman’s Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi has been banned from cricket for seven years due to match-fixing offences, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

Al Balushi found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on four counts.

It related to Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers held in the United Arab Emirates last year.

The player admitted the charges and accepted the sanction imposed upon him.

“This is a very serious offence where a player attempted but failed to get a teammate to engage in corrupt activity in high profile games and this is reflected in the severity of the sentence,” said ICC General Manager.

“Without Mr. Balushi’s admission of guilt and full cooperation throughout our investigation, the ban could have been significantly longer.

“The player has also indicated that he is willing to contribute to future integrity education programs on our behalf to help younger players learn from his mistakes.”

Oman has qualified for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia later this year.