In what was a massive upset, Zimbabwe secured a one-run victory over Pakistan in their 2022 T20 World Cup Super 12 match on Thursday, 27 October. The Chevrons defeated the Babar Azam-led side at the Optus Stadium in Perth in what was a final ball thriller as the team held their nerves to clinch the win in the final ball of the match.
After Zimbabwe's stunning defensive act, the country's President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa congratulated the team and tweeted that next time Pakistan should send the real Mr Bean. This was in reference to a meme that went viral just before the match after Twitter user Ngugi Chasura put out an account of the incidents that led to the tweet from the Zimbabwean President.
"What a win for Zimbabwe! Congratulations to the Chevrons. Next time, send the real Mr Bean…#PakvsZim," said the tweet.
The incident saw the Zimbabwe people duped by a comedy show in Harare back in 2016, where they expected to see Mr Bean aka, Rowan Atkinson, the person behind the portrayal of the famed character. However, citizens felt cheated out of their 10 dollars when Pakistani comedian Asif Mohammad walked out and performed instead. Many fans arrived to watch their favourite comedian in action but the show was a massive flop that angered the public at the Harare International Conference Centre.
Mr. Bean Controversy T20 WC 2022 Social media has been abuzz since Zimbabwe's victory with many tweeting that the country has finally taken its revenge in Mr Bean Derby. So much so that even the president's tweet made the rounds, gathering a lot of momentum.
The President's tweet did rounds, and also earned a response from former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag. The batter wrote that the Zimbabwe president was going to touch a major nerve with his reaction.
To recap their loss, Pakistan restricted the Zimbabweans to 130 runs in 20 overs, but were unable to chase down the relatively subpar total, finishing the match at 129 runs.
