Pakistan and Zimbabwe leaders trade barbs over Mr Bean impersonator

After a win in a T20 match, Zimbabwean fans say victory is ‘revenge’ for being duped by ‘Pak Bean’

Fake Mr Bean makes leaders of Pakistan and Zimbabwe trade barbs (Twitter/@mhanduwe0718061)

A man impersonating Rowan Atkinson’s famous character Mr Bean has become the focus of a hilarious online slinging match between the leaders of Pakistan and Zimbabwe after the former’s shock defeat in a T20 World Cup cricket match at Perth.

Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa praised the country’s win against Pakistan and added a reference to “Pak Bean”, the impersonator of the popular British comic character in Pakistan.

“What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean,” he wrote on Thursday.

Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif quoted Mr Mnangagwa’s tweet and wrote: “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,” Mr Sharif added.

A viral tweet had earlier put the spotlight on a Pakistani man who dressed like and looked similar to the character played by Atkinson that has enjoyed popularity in Asian and African countries.

The saga began a few days before the match, when a Zimbabwean Twitter user replied to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s photos of training players and blamed the country for giving Zimbabwe “that Fraud Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean Rowan”.

“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,” user Ngugi Chasura had said in his tweet.

A confused user replied, asking what this was about.

Mr Chasura answered: “They gave us Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean on one of our local events called agriculture show.”

The story unravelled after another user asked “WTF is Pak bean”.

“This is tha f*** called Pak Bean who imitates Mr Bean stealing peoples money (sic),” Mr Chasura said and shared a photo of Muhammad Arif, famously known to be Rowan Atkinson’s doppelganger.

Another tweet with a video of Mr Arif greeting several ecstatic fans while passing himself off as Mr Bean and spouting gibberish, also went viral.

It was reported that Mr Arif had once been invited to an event in Zimbabwe, where he attended a comedy night at the Harare International Conference Centre.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Shahid Afridi, who has starred in an advertisement with Mr Arif, said on a TV show: “Yes, yes I remember. He totally looks like him. I was completely confused.”

After the win in the T20 match against Pakistan, many Zimbabwean fans said the victory was “revenge” for being duped by “Pak Bean”.