PM, Zimbabwean president join 'Mr Bean' jokes after Pakistan's shock defeat

We may not have the real Mr Bean, but we have real cricketing spirit, says Premier Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday congratulated Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for a famous win against Pakistan during the World T20 in Perth.

The premier was responding to a tweet by the Zimbabwean leader. "What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean," he said, a reference to "Pak Bean" thread.

What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons.

Next time, send the real Mr Bean…#PakvsZim 🇿🇼

— President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) October 27, 2022

It all began when an apparent Twitter handle of a Zimbabwean claimed that they will 'settle the matter', all the while calling Pakistanis 'frauds'. "Just pray for the rains to save you," Ngugi Chasura tweeted. When a fan asked the reason behind his rage, he responded, "They gave us Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean on one of our local events called agriculture show."

Puzzled, one tweep questioned what is 'Pak Bean'. Chasura then shared a picture of Muhammad Arif, who's famously known for his resemblance to British actor Rowan Atkinson. The international star is known for his famous portrayal of Mr. Bean. "Stealing people's money!" Chasura added.

Read more: Spirited Zimbabwe pull off stunning win against Pakistan

Arif was invited to an event in Zimbabwe in 2016, where he attended a comedy night at the Harare International Conference Centre. In another tweet, we see Arif being given a hero's welcome, with many locals trying to click a picture with him.

"We may not have the real Mr Bean, but we have real cricketing spirit .. and we Pakistanis have a funny habit of bouncing back," the premier wrote while responding to the Zimbabwean president.

We may not have the real Mr Bean, but we have real cricketing spirit .. and we Pakistanis have a funny habit of bouncing back :)

Mr President: Congratulations. Your team played really well today. 👏 https://t.co/oKhzEvU972

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 27, 2022

He also congratulated him and said that Zimbabwe played well against Pakistan today.

Zimbabwe produced one of the all-time World Cup upsets with a brilliant performance in Perth to beat Pakistan by one run in a match that went down to the very last delivery.

Pakistan needed 11 to win off the final over of a pulsating evening, and that equation came down to three from three with the well-set Mohammad Nawaz at the crease.

But 25-year-old Brad Evans produced three stunning deliveries right when it mattered.

First, he fizzed through a pacy bouncer that Nawaz failed to connect with.

And a miscue off the penultimate ball had Nawaz caught at mid-off by captain Craig Ervine, a wicket that saw both batters sink to their knees, with heartbreak again for Nawaz in the second successive match.

Shaheen Shah Afridi punted the final ball down the ground, tearing back in a desperate attempt for a second run to tie the match. Wicket-keeper Regis Chakabva fumbled the throw at first but recovered to whip off the bails with Afridi still short of his ground, sparking jubilant scenes among the Zimbabwe players and supporters.

It was Pakistan's second straight loss after their agonising, opening defeat to arch-rivals India, who top Group 2 with two victories out of two.

Zimbabwe, who came through the first round in Australia to reach the Super 12, are third behind South Africa.

Only the top two reach the semi-finals.

Pakistan are fifth in the group and next play the Netherlands at the same Perth venue on Sunday.

They must win their remaining three matches and hope other results go their way to stand any chance of moving into the final four.

"To be honest, it's hard, but it's two days to go (before the next match) so we will sit together and come back strongly," skipper Babar Azam said.