Sarim Akhtar: The man behind the ‘disappointed’ meme
"After my name was leaked, I got thousands of friend requests on Facebook. My phone was ringing all night. The video had reached countries that hardly play cricket. It's relatable because it fits into any situation that involved an unpopular decision," Akhtar told VICE India.
A couple of years ago, on June 12, 2019 to be exact, Australia comprehensively beat Pakistan in a World Cup encounter at Taunton. Pakistan played better in that match than the scoreboard suggests and were particularly let down by some very sloppy fielding.
The match gave birth to a hugely famous meme which, with time, has become one of the most popular ones on the internet.
David Warner chipped the ball straight to the deep third man where Asif Ali was placed. But he dropped an absolute dolly. The camera was panned to a Pakistan fan in the background who was standing with his hands on the waist, shocked and disappointed.
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Within a few minutes, the image went viral on social media. Muhammad Sarim Akhtar, the man behind the meme, in a recent interview with VICE India spoke about his life since he has been recognised as a famous 'meme'.
"After my name was leaked, I got thousands of friend requests on Facebook. My phone was ringing all night. The video had reached countries that hardly play cricket. It's relatable because it fits into any situation that involved an unpopular decision," Akhtar told VICE India.
Akhtar shared some funny incidents regarding the meme. He met a person in Europe who asked him if he could use Akhar's photo in credit card. "Your disappointed expression will prevent me from using my credit card too often," explained the European person.
Akhtar was offered to participate in a Coca Cola advertisement with legendary cricketer Wasim Akram who happens to Sarim Akhtar's cricketing idol. He now has accounts on Twitter and Instagram where he shares his own memes. Akhtar is thinking of turning his meme into an NFT (Non-fungible Token) and has reportedly received several offers.
