Yorkshire are on course to secure an opening round Specsavers County Championship draw against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge thanks to unbeaten third-wicket pair Joe Root and Gary Ballance.

Set a target of 447 before day four, Yorkshire then slipped to 24-2 inside eleven overs.

But England Test captain Root and Ballance have since batted unbroken through to tea, where Yorkshire have reached at 181-2 from 59 overs.

Root is unbeaten on 86 and in sight of his seventh Championship century for Yorkshire. Ballance is unbeaten on 52.

Root reached his second fifty of the match - he hit 73 in the first innings - off 92 balls having survived a huge appeal for caught behind against Paul Coughlin on 46.

He hit four fours in five balls against the same bowler an over later.

Ballance was almost run out on 42 as he went for a quick single to cover, but he brought up his half-century off 167 balls on the stroke of tea.