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If you get caught doping, your time should be up: Kevin Pietersen on Maria Sharapova

The cricketer joins Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, who had launched a scathing attack on 'cheater' Sharapova on Thursday.

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Kevin Pietersen (L) and Maria Sharapova (Photo credit: GettyImages)
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Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen joined tennis star Eugenie Bouchard in stating that Maria Sharapova's comeback after her doping ban is not justified.

Canadian Bouchard had lashed out at the WTA for giving Sharapova the chance to compete in tournaments after serving a 15-month doping ban and said the Russian is a "cheater" who should never be allowed to play again.

"She's a cheater and ... I don't think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again," said Bouchard. "It's so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true. I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: 'cheat and we'll welcome you back with open arms'. "I don't think that's right and (Sharapova is) definitely not someone I can say I look up to any more."

Sharapova, on her part, is making the most of her return to competitive tennis and reached the third round of the on-going Stuttgart Open after a convincing victory over Ekaterina Makarova on Thursday. The Russian even had an emphatic reply for Bouchard's sensational comments. "I don't have anything to say -- I am way above that," she told reporters when asked to respond to the Canadian's comments after seeing off fellow Russian Makarova.

As it turns out, Pietersen has now joined the chorus and insisted that an athlete should be banned for life if they're caught doping. "I'm not having the return of @MariaSharapova at all! If you get caught doping or match fixing you're time should be up in the sport," tweeted KP.

Sharapova beat Italian Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Wednesday after receiving a controversial wild card for the tournament, having lost all her ranking points in the wake of her suspension.

Sharapova was banned for two years after testing positive at the 2016 Australian Open for meldonium, a medication the former world number one had been taking within the rules but which was then reclassified as a banned drug.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her ban to 15 months, while finding Sharapova was not an "intentional doper" but "bore some degree of fault" for relying on her agent to check the prohibited list for changes and failing to ensure he had done so.

(Inputs from Reuters)

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