Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the Zimbabwean president after Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan in an intriguing match of the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup underway in Australia.

PM Shehbaz's comment comes on the heels of a jibe by Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Damdudzo Mnangagwa who expressed delight over his country's win in a match versus Pakistan. In a tweet today, Shehbaz 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."

The PM also offered the Zimbabwean president felicitation, saying, "Your team played really well today." Zimbabwe pulled off a stunning one-run upset by putting the Asian giants in danger of an early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup. Pakistan restricted Zimbabwe to 130-8. But their bowlers, led by Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, choked Pakistan to 129-8 for a memorable win in a Super 12s thriller in Perth. With two straight defeats, Pakistan face crashing out of the major tournament. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the Zimbabwean president congratulated the Chevrons and took a jibe at Pakistan by asking it to "send the real Mr Bean next time.” Earlier, cricket fans got engaged in a Twitter war on the ongoing joke about Mr Bean, which has roots in an event in Zimbabwe.

According to a Zimbabwean fan on Twitter, Pakistan sent fake Mr Bean to Zimbabwe to entertain at an event. When asked, the Zimbabwean fan shared the picture of Asif Memon, who resembles Mr Bean, a popular TV character portrayed by English actor Rowan Atkinson. Memon was invited to an event in Zimbabwe in 2016 when he attended a comedy night at the Harare International Conference Centre. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 29 2022

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