Pakistan suffered its second defeat in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia on Thursday, October 27 at the Optus Stadium in Perth, when its batting line failed to chase down the target of 131 runs against Zimbabwe.
The Craig Ervine-led side received praise in the cricket fraternity for their effort to outclass one of the tournament’s favorite sides, including Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who also took a dig at Pakistan.
While congratulating his team on the historic win after the thrilling finish, President Mnangagwa took to Twitter and wrote, “What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr. Bean.”
Within a few hours, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, responded to Emmerson’s hilarious message, writing that Pakistan may not have the real Mr. Bean, but they certainly have a real cricketing spirit.
PM Shehbaz also lauded Zimbabwe’s performance and congratulated them, saying, “Pakistanis have a funny habit of bouncing back Mr. President: Congratulations. Your team played really well today.”
Coming to the Mr. Bean debate, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had posted videos and photos of the Men in Green’s practice session in Perth on its official Twitter account prior to the Zimbabwe match.
A Twitter user named Ngugi Chasura responded to the post which sparked a social media frenzy, earning the Pakistan-Zimbabwe match the moniker “Mr. Bean derby.”
“As Zimbabweans, we won’t forgive you. You once gave us that Fraud Pak Bean instead of Mr. Bean Rowan. We will settle the matter tomorrow just pray the rains will save you,” Ngugi had written.
It is pertinent to mention here Pakistan’s comedian Asif Muhammad, a doppelganger of Mr. Bean, had traveled to Zimbabwe back a few years ago to participate in a local event. He got official protocol and his videos are still being widely shared on social media.