The prospect of a final-day agreement in Australian cricket's pay dispute seems unlikely, though neither side has abandoned hope of a last-minute deal.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association expires at midnight on Friday.
Neither side reported any major movements on Thursday, with both sticking to their established positions.
The return of CA chief James Sutherland from England was seen as a potential circuit-breaker, with chief negotiator Kevin Roberts and high-performance boss Pat Howard previously representing the governing body in talks with the players body.
The ACA is keen for Sutherland to be involved in discussions in a bid to break the impasse.
Both sides declined to say whether Sutherland was involved in formal or informal talks with the ACA on Thursday.
It's believed no formal meetings are set down for Friday, though that doesn't preclude the possibility of a last-minute agreement, but it seems unlikely.
The ACA has an executive meeting in Sydney on Sunday, when the topic of player availability for the coming tour of South Africa seems certain to be raised.
While 70 domestic male cricketers have contracts beyond Friday that carry into the 2017-18 season, uncertainty looms for other members of Australia's cricketing community.
Other domestic male players, along with their female counterparts and the international players of both genders, come off contract on July 1, though a deal was struck to ensure the women's team competing at the World Cup in Britain would be paid for the tournament, which continues into July.
Players coming off contract from July 1 won't be precluded from training facilities.
However, they won't receive any back pay covering the period beyond the expiration of their contract and the completion of a new MoU.
The ACA is adamant it won't abandon the share model that has underpinned recent MoUs but believe they have shown some flexibility in other areas.
CA hasn't changed its position since issuing a statement last week and believes the ball is now in the ACA's court.
Howard circulated an email on Wednesday that provided advice for players whose contracts expire on June 30 and those who are contracted for the following season.
Included in Howard's email was a note that under ICC regulations, players couldn't take part in ICC-approved domestic T20 tournaments without CA's approval.
Players who take part in "disapproved cricket" such as exhibition matches would not be permitted to take part in ICC "approved cricket" for a six-month minimum thereafter.
That could theoretically rule players out of the Ashes series later this year.
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