South Africa's players, including captains Quinton de Kock and Dane van Niekerk, have cautioned that the "financial viability of the game is under major threat," and demanded Cricket South Africa to focus on effecting positive change before "irreparable damage," is caused.

A total of 30 cricketers, both men and women, were named in a statement sent out by the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) on Tuesday. And they are worried "this may be the last chance we have to change direction and save the game," in the wake of CSA postponing their AGM, scheduled for this Saturday, and beset by a plethora of problems.

Not only has cricket come to a standstill in the country because of Covid-19, but CSA is without both a permanent CEO and an elected president, has an incomplete board and is facing financial crisis and allegations racism. Former CEO Thabang Moroe was fired last week for "acts of serious misconduct," after a more than nine-month suspension while Chris Nenzani resigned two weeks ago, with his tenure on the brink of expiration. Through all that, CSA is expected to report a profit for the 2020 financial year - during which time England visited - though the three T20s against India, planned for August and now taken out of CSA's budget will mean losses in 2021.

At the same time, CSA is attempting to address allegations of exclusion by considering reparations for those who felt discriminated against in the past. The current crop of 30 players have recognised these myriad issues have shaken the game to its core and they fear that not all decisions are being taken with cricket at the core. They have demanded that the administrators concentrate on cleaning house.

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"Issues such as suspensions, dismissals, resignations, forensic audits, confidential leaks, litigation and financial mismanagement have dominated the cricket headlines. This is happening at a time when we are having challenging conversations about transformation, and in an environment where the financial viability of the game is under major threat," the statement read. "Politics and self-interest appear to trump cricket imperatives and good governance. Decisions must be made that are in the best interests of cricket, failing which the game we love may be irreparably damaged in this country."

While the release does not mention what action, if any, the players will take should their demands not be met, it offers a "sincere plea" to "save the game," which they believe starts with a close scrutiny of the current structures. "The Proteas teams must be strong, the domestic structure must be strong, and the transformation pipeline must be strong - we demand that this be the focus of the CSA Board and Operational Team."

The signatories of the SACA release are: Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo, Anrich Nortje, Ayabonga Khaka, Beuran Hendricks, Chloe Tryon, Dané van Niekerk, David Miller, Dean Elgar, Dwaine Pretorius, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Lungi Ngidi, Marizanne Kapp, Masabatha Klaas, Mignon du Preez, Nadine de Klerk, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Sune Luus, Tabraiz Shamzi, Temba Bavuma, Trisha Chetty, Tumi Sekhukhune