It was meant to be the Canadian sports comeback of the century – new blood, new programs, new money . . . a cricket bat for the backpack of any school kid interested in the game.

Instead, uncertainty now dominates the sport in Canada as controversy continues to buffet cricket’s national regulatory body, Cricket Canada - and its president Banwarilal "Ben" Sennik.

Or as one outgoing Cricket Canada executive put it: "It’s all gone to pot."

Cricket was first played on Canadian soil in 1785. The game’s popularity has waxed and waned over the years, undermined by hockey and baseball, wars and shifting demographics.

But with the massive migratory influx of South Asians to Canada in recent decades, cricket’s popularity – South Asians treat their homegrown cricket stars like Hollywood celebrities – was again on the rise, with cricket identified as the fastest growing sport in Canada.

Now, however, divisive infighting is spoiling the party for Canadian cricket, declared the nation’s first official sport last year amid much fanfare.

Cricket has received a major setback in recent weeks with the sacking or sudden resignation of three of Cricket Canada’s top-ranking executives – CEO Atul Ahuja, senior vice president Mohanjeet Singh Kendall, and treasurer Bill Siddique.

On January 13, Cricket Canada arrived at Eugene Reimer Middle School in Abbotsford, alongside its largest corporate sponsor, Scotiabank, which nine months earlier had forged a three-year sponsorship agreement with Cricket Canada making Scotiabank the Premier National Sponsor and Official Bank of Cricket in Canada.

As Canadian National Team players and coaches introduced the kids to the game of cricket, Cricket Canada and Scotiabank announced the launch of the Cricket Canada Scotiabank School Program – a comprehensive program dedicated to teaching and promoting the multi-national game to elementary school children across Canada.

CEO Atul Ahuja was in attendance. As was VP Mohanjeet Singh Kendall.

"Canada is on its way to becoming an international powerhouse in the Cricket arena. In 2008 alone, Scotiabank’s sponsorship made it possible for Cricket Canada to host the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Bermuda in several international tournaments," gushed Ahuja. "Scotiabank’s far-reaching support of Cricket at the school-level will make it possible for a new generation of children to gain exposure to this game."

Not long after his return to Cricket Canada headquarters in Toronto, however, Ahuja was summarily sacked. Within weeks, Kendall quit in disgust over what he described as grave "administrative problems" within Cricket Canada, which was established in 1892.

"I have resigned not only to protest against the manner in which the CEO was sacked, but also to bring the sorry state of affairs in Canadian cricket to the notice of the public," said Kendall.

From the day-to-day running of the sport and the selection policy for national team players to the "totally outdated" constitution and ongoing league disputes that should have long ago been mediated, Kendall said much is wrong with Canadian cricket "which needs to be corrected immediately."

"I tried my best to change these things, but could not. So I decided to quit to let the public know what can ruin the fledging sport in this country," he said.

Defending sacked CEO Ahuja as an efficient organiser, he said: "Ahuja was an energetic man who delivered. I thought the way the president fired him was very unceremonious. He should have been presented with a chance to present his case before the board, which never happened."

Kendall said the last straw for him was Cricket Canada sending eight members of the national team into the Sri Lankan war zone last month for training.

"I opposed it on the grounds of prevailing conditions in Sri Lanka, but I was only one vote on the executive," said Kendall. "Our players were cooped up in hotel after the LTTE air suicide attack in Colombo. They were just a kilometre from where the suicide attack took place. A rebel plane was shot down very close to where the team was staying."

Cricket Canada president Ben Sennick did not respond to repeated telephone and e-mail requests for comment.

Cricket Canada’s public relations officer, Kevin Boller, said he was not told why CEO Atul Ahuja was let go.

"It’s quite strange," he admitted. "The vice president, that was quite sudden and no one expected it."

The sport’s governing body is already under the scanner from the International Cricket Council which provides funding – more than $800,000 annually – for the development of the sport in Canada.

As for Cricket Canada sponsor Scotiabank, Kendall says, "they must be reviewing their sponsorship; nobody likes to get involved in controversy."

Scotiabank’s Director of Indian and South Asian Markets for Multicultural Banking said he could not disclose how much money his bank pumps in to Cricket Canada.

Panjak Mehra also said he could not comment on the internal management structure of Cricket Canada.

"We are dealing with the organization and not an individual or individuals," said Mehra, a cricket fan himself, who added he has seen "no evidence at this point" that the partnership is going to be derailed.

Said Mehra: "We are very keen on initiatives that have been launched, especially the Cricket Canada Scotiabank School Program. We are maintaining very close contact with the Cricket Canada management team to make sure that it’s implemented in a timely fashion and as discussed."

As for former VP Kendall, he said cricket in Canada is being put in "harms way" by Cricket Canada’s current administration.

"It’s all gone to pot," he said. "I felt that maybe if I resigned the public would begin to raise questions. Let’s see what happens. I’m hoping that things will change."