Sport shorts: Australia have ‘no excuses’ in Ashes, NZ win Netball World Cup, Shane reigns at Portrush

1. Waugh: there are no excuses

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh says his country’s preparation for this summer’s Ashes series against England means there are “no excuses” if they fail to win.

The Baggy Greens currently hold the urn but have not won the Ashes on English soil for 18 years.

Waugh told Sky Sports Cricket: “They have had great preparation. The Australia A team have been over here, we have a lot of players and we have been using the Dukes ball in our domestic cricket for the last 12 months. No stone has been left unturned. There are no excuses.

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“We have a really good squad and it has actually been strengthened by the fact Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft haven’t been there as it has presented opportunities to others.

“We have good depth and there is no reason we can’t win. There are selection decisions to be made but we are not short of options.”

2. Silver Ferns win Netball World Cup

New Zealand pulled off a stunning victory over Australia to lift the Netball World Cup in Liverpool yesterday. Following the Silver Ferns’s 52-51 win in the final head coach Noeline Taurua said: “I was actually quite speechless. Every day was going to be a challenge for us. To do the final is massive for the Ferns, for the sport and the community at home.”

3. ‘Incredible’ Peaty breaks own record

British swimming star Adam Peaty broke his own world record for the 100m breaststroke after recording a time of 56.88 seconds in the 2019 World Aquatics Championships semi-final in Gwangju, South Korea. Peaty, the first man to break 57 seconds, said: “There’s no other word except for ‘incredible’.”

4. Gnagnon apologises for ‘heinous’ tackle

Liverpool’s 2-1 pre-season defeat against Sevilla yesterday was marred by a horror tackle on Yasser Larouci by Joris Gnagnon. Reds youngster Larouci was carried off on a stretcher and after the match Sevilla’s Gnagnon apologised for the “heinous” red-card offence. French player Gnagnon said: “I would like to publicly apologise towards Liverpool, the family of the player and its supporters. It was a heinous act on my part. Whatever the reason, it’s not what should be seen on a football pitch. All my prayers are with the player and his family.”

5. Bayern eye Zaha

It’s not just Arsenal who are keen on Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, but also Bayern Munich. 90min reports that the German giants are considering a bid for Zaha after failing to land ​Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, ​Manchester City’s Leroy Sane and ​Real Madrid’s ​Gareth Bale.

Premier League transfer news: Pepe, Lukaku, De Gea, Iwobi, Pogba

6. Clarkson has his say on F1

Jeremy Clarkson is obviously not a fan of Formula 1 in its current guise. The former Top Gear presenter has lashed out at F1’s management and the sport’s top teams for the lack of excitement during races. He said: “Let’s turn it into a proper sport again and not some health and safety exercise.”

Video: Jeremy Clarkson’s F1 rant - how fans reacted on Twitter

7. Button’s warning for Hamilton

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton has been warned against a future move to Ferrari by Jenson Button, who says it could spell the end of his former team-mate’s career in Formula 1. Ex-McLaren driver Button has urged his fellow Brit to stay with the Silver Arrows if he wants to win more titles and break records.

F1: Hamilton warned Ferrari move could be the ‘end of his career’

8. Swimmer refuses to share podium with ‘drug cheat’

An Australian swimmer yesterday refused to share a podium with the Chinese rival to whom he had just lost the 400-metre freestyle, claiming he was a drugs cheat. Mack Horton came second to Sun Yang in the World Aquatics Championships race in South Korea. Sun accused him of “disrespecting China”.

9. Shane reigns at Portrush

Shane Lowry became only the second player from the Republic of Ireland to win The Open as he overcome testing conditions at Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush yesterday. The 32-year-old emulated Padraig Harrington, who lifted the famous Claret Jug in 2007 and 2008, and later quipped that his victory “feels like an out-of-body experience”.

The Open: out of body and out of this world for Lowry

10. Bale off to Beijing?

It’s reported that Welsh forward Gareth Bale has been offered a £1m-a-week package to go to China. Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has “ruthlessly frozen out” Bale and is desperate to offload the 30-year-old. Chinese side Beijing Guoan are the team linked with a move for the Welsh forward.

Today’s back pages: Bale’s £1m-a-week offer and Lowry’s Open glory