New Delhi

Cricket is a game of uncertainties and possibilities, and this was witnessed when Zimbabwe, who have been branded as minnows, defeated a comparatively stronger Pakistani side in one of possibly the major upsets in the T20 World Cup.

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Following the crushing defeat, the Pakistani team were trolled heavily on Twitter not only by their ardent supporters but also by Zimbabwe fans who claimed it to be a redemption of sorts for sending fake Mr Bean from Pakistan to Harare.

Cashing on this trend was Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who sent congratulatory tweets to the nation’s cricket team.

In his Twitter post, Mnangagwa not only lauded the team’s performance but also took a jibe at Pakistan, asking them to send the real Mr Bean next time.

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"What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean… #PakvsZim," the Zimbabwean President wrote.

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To which, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif responded by saying, “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 (sic).”

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What is the fake Mr Bean controversy?

The issue of fake Mr Bean came to the fore when Pakistan Cricket Board uploaded a post on its official Twitter account of the team’s players’ practising a day before the Zimbabwe match.

A Twitter user who goes by the name Ngugi Chasura responded by saying, “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…#ZIMVSPAK.”

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When another user asked for more detials, Chasura tweeted, “They gave us Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean on one of our local events called agriculture show.”

The real identity of the Pakistani-based Mr bean is Asif Mohammad, a doppelganger of British actor Rowan Atkinson.

According to reports, he was called to Zimbabwe in 2016 to entertain people at the Harare International Conference Centre, but it turned out to be a damp squib as his stand-alone act didn’t elicit any laughter as they hoped.

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Ngugi Chasura revealed that this fake Mr Bean’s show charged $10 from people and offered no value for money.

His post soon went viral, with many Zimbabwe fans calling for revenge against Pakistan in the World T20 championship.