We want to finish at five or six, if not as semi-finalists: Shakib

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan said he wanted his side to finish at five or six on the table if the Tigers fail to reach the semifinals of the ongoing World Cup following the 149-run drubbing they suffered against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. 

It was a slow death for Bangladesh in Mumbai as they were first on the receiving end of a hammering from South Africa batters Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen—who scored a 140-ball 174 and a 49-ball 90 respectively to help the Proteas pile on 382 for five—and then surrendered without much of a fight as the Tigers were bundled out for 233. 

Mahmudullah scored his fourth ODI ton could help reduce the margin of defeat for Bangladesh as they never looked like posing a threat having lost six wickets under 100 runs. 

The latest defeat brought the Tigers their fourth successive loss after which they languished to the bottom of the table with just two points which came from their win over Afghanistan. Shakib's side are mathematically alive for the semifinal spots but chances now seem bleak considering the performances.

"I thought we bowled well for 35 overs, took a few wickets and going at five an over. From thereon they kicked on, especially Quinton, he batted really well and the way Klaasen finished it off. On a ground like this it can happen," Shakib said in the post-match interview.

"Been some talk about Mushfiq and Mahmudullah batting up the order. The top five who are not scoring need to score more and then we can get more out of them. At the moment India, NZ and SA are the three teams that look like they can win the title. But anything can happen, a long way to go. A lot to learn and a lot to play for. We want to finish, if not as semi-finalists then at five or six. We can still do it, I'm hopeful we can come back stronger," he added.

Bangladesh started off brightly with the ball having picked up two early wickets inside the first eight overs of the innings. The third wicket, Aiden Markram, fell in the 31st over with the score on 167 and since then it went downhill for the Tigers as they got bludgeoned by the Proteas batters, who scored more than 200 runs in the next 20 overs, with 144 of those coming in the last 10 overs.