The proteas face the ignominy of having to qualify for the Cricket World Cup in India next year via the qualifiers, but head coach Mark Boucher is confident his team will pull through and avoid the embarrassment.

The Proteas were left in ninth position in the 13-team Cricket World Cup Super League, which serves as part of the 2023 World Cup qualification process, after they lost a three-match ODI series at home 2-1 against Bangladesh.

“We got off to a good start, but lacked intent. We went to sleep,” Boucher said after his team was humiliated with a nine-wicket defeat by Bangladesh.  

“After a good start you want to come in with intent and take the game forward and we didn’t manage to do that, though they bowled well. It’s certainly not the way we want to play.”

The team has lost seven of its 13 matches in the Super League and won four with two matches ending in a no result after series defeats in Sri Lanka, Pakistan at home, a 1-1 draw in Ireland and the loss against Bangladesh at home this week.

They have 49 points while Bangladesh’s 20 points won against SA entrenched their place at the top with 120 points after winning 12 of their 18 matches and losing six.

England (95 points from 15 matches) are second, followed by India (79 points from 12 ), Afghanistan (70 points from nine), Ireland (68 points from 18), Sri Lanka (62 points from 18), Australia (60 points from nine) and West Indies in eighth place on 50 points from 15 matches.

Pakistan are 10th on 40 points from nine matches, Zimbabwe 11th on 35 points from 12 matches, New Zealand in 12th on 30 points from three matches and the Netherlands on 25 points from seven games.

SA could drop further down after the series between New Zealand and the Netherlands, Pakistan vs Australia next week and the the Netherlands vs England, New Zealand vs Ireland and England vs India in July.

Results from these series could cause more problems for the Proteas and see them struggle to make up lost ground.

Their problems are further compounded as their remaining Super League series are against England, India, Australia and the Netherlands.

“I believe that if we rock up we stick to our game plans, arrive at matches with confidence we can beat anyone in the world and we’ve shown that during the T20 World Cup,” said Boucher.

“We’ve got a lot of things to discuss and we’ll have to do that, but also understanding that we’ve got the clientele in our change room to beat the best in the world.”

If the Proteas ODI form is any indication, the unthinkable prospect of SA having to qualify for a World Cup berth through the qualifiers is real, especially with England, India, Australia and the Netherlands, but Boucher is confident his team can secure an automatic qualification.

“Those teams, we have beaten them before and we’re going to have to beat them again to qualify.

“The alarm bells are always there and we’re putting ourselves under pressure, but everyone has got to come to the party.”

The top eight teams will qualify automatically for the 2023 World Cup.

If SA fails to finish in the top eight they will have to go into playoffs with the other five countries and five other associate nations.

Only two teams from those matches will qualify for the World Cup.

Each team will play 24 matches in the Super League with 10 points for a win and five points for a tie or no result.

Each team will play a total of eight series — four at home and four away — and each series will consist of at least three ODIs.

TimesLIVE