Zimbabwe scripted a sensational underdog tale in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 after defeating Pakistan by one run. With the slightest of margins, Zimbabwe claimed their first victory of the tournament. But amidst the Pakistan vs Zimbabwe match in the World Cup, a different character made headlines, both before and after the match. Following Zimbabwe's victory in the match, the individual also prompted the president of Zimbabwean, Emmerson Mnangagwa to take part in the conversation before finding a response from Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The person is none other than the popular British TV show Mr Bean, but this one comes with a Pakistani twist. The Pakistani Mr Bean or Pak Bean has created a huge buzz across the internet, even before Pakistan and Zimbabwe faced each other as part of their Super 12 group stage match in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Who is this Pak Bean and why is he a viral sensation on the internet currently?
The Origin of #PakBean
Before the match against Zimbabwe on Thursday, the social media admin of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tweeted images of the team's practice session.
The response of Twitter user Ngugi Chasura to this tweet would later go on to become one of the most viral trends to come out of this season of the T20 World Cup.
Charusa spoke of revenge against Pakistan for a fake Mr Bean. "As Zimbabweans we wont forgive you...you once gave us that Fraud Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean Rowan ..we will settle the matter tommorow just pray the rains will save you...#ZIMVSPAK," the tweet read.
Pakistani fans were not going to take Charusa's digs lying down. One of them, a Twitter user by the name of Sam Pakistani demanded clarifications on who "Fraud Pak Bean" was. Chasura then tweeted about "Pak Bean" and how they were different from the actual Mr Bean character, portrayed by British actor Rowan Atkinson.
Mr Bean is a popular British comedy TV show, first airing on January 1, 1990. In the show, the title protagonist (portrayed by Atkinson) is a man who lives in London with his Teddy and causes hilarious disruptions everywhere he goes.
People on Twitter and across social media would later come across the Pakistani version of Mr Bean that prompted Chasura's furious reply to the PCB practice session post.
The Pakistani Mr Bean
In a streak of replies, Ngugi Chasura introduced the internet to Pak Bean, who would go on to become an internet sensation.
The Twitter user alleged Pak Bean, who imitates the real Mr Bean, had fooled people in Zimbabwe and defrauded them of money. Hence, it was time for the Zimbabwe cricket team to take revenge by beating Pakistan in the match.
Pak Bean referred to in the tweets by Chasura is Pakistani comedian Asif Muhammad. The comedian resembles Rowan Atkinson, the actual actor who played the role of Mr Bean and was in Zimbabwe back in the year 2016 for a Comedy Night.
The "Fraud"
In his reply to the PCB practice session post on Twitter, Chasura warned the team of revenge from Zimbabwe for a Pakistani copy instead of the actual British one, played by Atkinson. Chasura called Muhammad a "fraud" and accused him of stealing people's money.
According to a 2016 news report by All Africa, Asif Muhammad or Pak Bean was in Zimbabwe for the Comedy Night event that took place at the Harare International Conference Centre on September 3, 2016.
India Today reported that the show was a complete flop where the Zimbabwe crowd had to shell out $10 for each ticket, thus prompting them to call Asif Muhammad or Pak Bean a fraud. However, it's unclear if the allegations are true.
Fast forward to October 27, 2022 when Zimbabwe recorded a sensational victory by one run against cricketing powerhouse Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup, where Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza stood out as the Player of the Match with his bowling figure of 3/25 in four overs. Raza's heroics provided a moment of sheer happiness to the entire country located in South East Africa.
While Pak Bean had already gone viral on Twitter, even the elected leaders of the two countries got involved in the debate. Zimbabwe's president Emmerson Mnangagwa demanded that next time Pakistan give them the real Mr Bean, Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said, "We may not have the real Mr Bean, but we have real cricketing spirit."
Zimbabwe will face Bangladesh for their next Super 12 fixture on Sunday, October 30. On the same day, Pakistan will face the Netherlands and hope to break their duck of victory. They previously lost their opening match against India at the MCG and have recorded two losses in the two matches they have played so far in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.