'Seeing Zimbabweans believe I was real Mr Bean was my biggest earning': Pakistan doppelganger reacts to PAK-ZIM banter

Pakistan's fake Mr Bean has finally broken silence after being the centre of attention ahead of the the country's match against Zimbabwe at the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan faced a heartbreaking loss to Zimbabwe in their second match of the Super 12 stage at the T20 World Cup on Thursday. The side had already faced a dramatic four-wicket loss to arch-rivals India in their opening match, and their hopes for a semi-final qualification have taken a massive hit following the Zimbabwe defeat. Despite restricting the Zimbabwean team to 130/8, the side failed to chase down the target, falling short by a run.'

Zimbabwe players celebrate the win; the 'Fake Mr Bean'; Pakistan players during the match against Zimbabwe (Twitter/ICC)

Ahead of the game, however, the social media saw a rather hilarious build-up for the game thanks to a fake ‘Mr Bean’. The person in question, originally from Pakistan, had made a trip to Zimbabwe in 2016 impersonating Rowan Atkinson; however, many locals mistook him for the original character. Six years later, as Pakistan and Zimbabwe were to meet in the T20 World Cup, a Zimbabwean fan stated that the side would take “revenge” with Pakistan for sending an impersonator.

When Pakistan lost the match, Twitter was full of memes referring to the Mr Bean incident and even the president and prime minister of Zimbabwe and Pakistan respectively reacted to the same. While Emmerson Mnangagwa congratulated Zimbabwe for the win, he threw a shade at Pakistan, writing, "Next time, send the real Bean..."

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, then responded, “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.”

And now, the fake Mr Bean – Asif Muhammad – has finally broken silence surrounding the whole hysteria.

In an interview, he said that he is thrilled to have been discussed by public figures on social media.

“I am a duplicate but if the Zimbabwe President and Pakistan PM can talk about me wishing each other after Zimbabwe’s win, my motive of making the world laugh is fulfilled. There was some light-hearted banter after Pakistan’s loss because of me. What more can I ask for?” Muhammad told The Indian Express.

“When the businessmen Muhammad Arif and Muhammad Anees discussed the idea of having me as the brand ambassador in the exhibition in Harare, I was delighted. To meet kids in markets and streets in Harare and seeing them believe I was the real Mr Bean was my biggest earning from that trip. A lot of Indians would also come to meet me at the residence of Anees and would ask me for autographs and selfies. Pakistan se duss guna zyada hospitality hui thi (The hospitality was ten times more than I get in Pakistan),” said the Karachi resident.