An email from Cricket Australia high performance chief Pat Howard to players has warned them of the risks they would face should they agree to be open to offers from independent organisers.

Players who are on CA contracts and those without multi-year state deals are unemployed after CA and the Australian Cricketers Association failed to broker a new memorandum of understanding by Friday's deadline.

The fight over pay has prompted players and the ACA executive to hold a pivotal meeting at the Hilton, where several issues will be addressed. The most pressing is whether the Australia A tour goes ahead in South Africa this month. 

Should this tour be scrapped, it could have implications for next month's Test tour of Bangladesh.

Australia also has a slated one-day series in India in October, before cricket's blue-chip event - the battle for the Ashes - is held at home.

As players are unemployed, they are free to pursue sponsorships that rival CA's official partners. They are also open to offers to play in rival competitions, with Twenty20 tournaments the most obvious.

While there had been speculation CA would ban players from doing so, by refusing to sign a No Objection Certificate, Howard said that was incorrect. Instead, he has warned players of the International Cricket Council's regulation. In the email, he says: "Please note that ICC regulations state that: Players (including uncontracted players) cannot play in ICC approved cricket (e.g. domestic T20 competitions operated by overseas cricket boards) without approval from Cricket Australia, and players who participate in disapproved cricket (e.g. exhibition matches) are not permitted to participate in ICC approved cricket for a minimum of six month thereafter. Applications for No Objection Certificates will be dealt with on a case by case basis."

Should a hastily arranged unsanctioned tournament be staged, and players were to be banned by the ICC, they would be unavailable for the Ashes series, beginning in November.

CA had told Fairfax Media NOC's are only issued for fitness reasons. For instance, if the governing body felt a player taking part in a domestic T20 tournament could jeopardise his hopes of being for an imminent international series.

Players remain frustrated by the pay fight, and have refused to agree to CA's submission for a change in the revenue model they have enjoyed since 1997. Players had been paid from CA's gross revenue; CA now wants them to be paid from a set pool and share in only surplus funds.

Vice-captain David Warner said on Saturday the ugly spat had meant his "workplace" no longer felt like family.

The ACA will hold a press conference at 1pm.