Who is 'fraud Pak Mr Bean' who triggered Twitter feud between Pakistan & Zimbabwe fans?

The ‘Fake Mr. Bean’ saga took over social media on Thursday, ahead of Pakistan Super 12 match against Zimbabwe at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Replying to a tweet by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which featured the Pakistani players training for their match against Zimbabwe, a Zimbabwean fan called for revenge against Pakistan. On being inquired about the reason behind his comments, the fan replied that a fake Mr. Bean was sent to a local event in their country, while the citizens believed him to be the original Mr. Bean, i.e. the British actor Rowan Atkinson.

The emergence of the 'fake Mr. Bean' controversy

The fan claimed that Pakistan sent a fake 'Mr. Bean' to an event in Zimbabwe and said that his team will settle the matter tomorrow in their Super 12 match. While the tweet went viral among fans ahead of the match, it went on to become an even bigger talking point as Zimbabwe picked their first-ever Super 12 win at the T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by one run in a dramatic finish. On one hand, fans left no stone unturned to troll Pakistan for the Fake Mr. Bean, on the other hand, prominent cricketing and political figures also pointed out the 'fake Mr. Bean' in their reaction to Pakistan’s loss. 

All you need to know about Pakistan's Mr Bean look-alike Asif Mohammad

It is pertinent to mention that a man named Muhammad Asif from Kharadhar, Karachi, gained much popularity in the country for his striking resemblance to Atkinson. It is understood that, back in 2016, Pakistan sent Asif to Zimbabwe for an appearance in the Harare Agricultural Show, where he was believed to be the real Mr. Bean. He received a grand welcome in the African country, attended several shows and also held road shows, for which he is believed to have been paid a large sum of money.

Fake Mr. Bean memes flood Twitter after Zimbabwe completes revenge

Zimbabwean fans on social media also claimed that the 'fake Mr. Bean' was even paid for appearing at the events and also received high-level security under the official protocol. It was later discovered that Asif was an impersonator of the world-famous Mr. Bean sitcom character. Meanwhile, the fake Mr. Bean was mentioned in tweets by Indian cricket stalwarts like Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer, after Pakistan’s one-run humiliating loss to Zimbabwe. 

Sehwag shared the picture of Rowan Atkinson and Muhammad Asif in his tweet with a hilarious caption. “Pic 1 - Pakistan After 20 overs of Zimbabwe batting. Pic 2- Pakistan after 20 overs of their batting”. At the same time, Jaffer said, “Zimbabwe beat Pakistan. And do not call this an upset. It'd be disrespectful to @ZimCricketv who've played so well and deserve all the respect and praise. Pic unrelated “.

The Zimbabwean President also trolled Pakistan  by mentioning the fake Mr. Bean in his congratulatory tweet for their national team. “What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean…”President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa said. In the meantime, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif replied to the Zimbabwean President and said, “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”.