Pakistan deliver master-class at Headingley (VIDEO)

His name is Andrew Strauss.

The England captain, who leads his team Down Under this winter to defend the Ashes, must have been elated and encouraged as he monitored events from afar.

For Australia were outplayed by Pakistan as surely as Strauss's England were outplayed by Australia on the opening day of last summer's Headingley Test, which the visitors won by an innings and 80 runs.

After choosing to bat in pursuit of an eighth consecutive Test win, and a 14th in succession against a Pakistan team adjusting once again to fresh leadership, Australia were bowled out in 33.1 overs for 88 – their seventh-lowest first innings total and their lowest since they made 56 against Pakistan at Karachi in 1956.

In conditions that were amenable for bowling but by no means atrocious for batting, they were blown away in embarrassing style by opponents who delivered a master-class in controlled seam and swing.

Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif each took three wickets and Umar Gul two during an Australian innings that lasted just two hours, 47 minutes – raising the prospect of another Headingley Test finishing well inside the distance.

Only four batsmen reached double figures – wicketkeeper Tim Paine top-scoring with 17 – before Pakistan replied with 148-3, a lead of 60.

Australia coach Tim Nielsen defended the decision to bat first, saying: "We thought it would be hard work against the new ball, but if we could get through that we felt the wicket would flatten out. As it turned out, they bowled beautifully and we weren't good enough to stop the rot.

"Now we need to have a good morning, take a couple of wickets and not let the scoreboard get out of control if we're going to have a chance.

"But we never know when we're beaten, which is one of the great strengths of this team."

Nielsen admitted he would rather Australia suffer such a calamitous day against Pakistan than England.

"I'd prefer we were exposed to these experiences now than for them to happen for the first time in an Ashes series," he added.

"But I'm not worried about our batting, and I think it's exciting for our guys to be exposed to this sort of pressure."

The carnage began in the day's seventh over when Simon Katich – who played one first-class game for Yorkshire in 2002 – shuffled across his stumps and was lbw to Aamer.

Shane Watson fell in the next over, lbw to Asif, Australia slipping to 29-4 when Michael Clarke was bowled through the gate by Gul and Ricky Ponting lbw to one that nipped back from Asif.

Only one batsman deserved sympathy, Michael Hussey sawn off by umpire Rudi Koertzen and his self-indulgent slow finger of death when a delivery from Gul that was drifting down leg-side cannoned into his pad.

Koertzen is standing in his final Test and his retirement should not be lamented by those who believe no umpire is bigger than the game.

Australia lost their sixth wicket on 60 when Marcus North – recovered from a stomach bug – was caught by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, diving to his left, off Umar Amin to cap a remarkable first session.

It got even more explosive after the break when two wickets fell in the first two balls.

Steven Smith was bowled through the gate by Aamer, who then breached the defence of Mitchell Johnson with an outstanding delivery that turned him round and would have accounted for many frontline batsmen.

Australia's humiliation was complete when Ben Hilfenhaus was run-out by Amin from third-man as Paine attempted a risky three, Paine then edging behind as he tried an elaborate square-cut off Asif while backing away to leg.

Having watched the ease with which Ponting's men were obliterated, one would not have been surprised had Australia been batting again before the close.

But Butt and fellow opener Imran Farhat initially rattled along at five runs an over as Australia failed to make comparably efficient use of the new ball.

It seemed Pakistan's first-wicket pair might eclipse Australia's aggregate on their own but Butt was bowled with the total on 80 by a fine ball from Hilfenhaus that swung back late.

Watson gave Australia something to hold on to by having Farhat lbw and Azhar Ali caught behind to a ball that enticed him forward.

But when bad light ended play with 13 overs remaining, Pakistan had engineered a position as favourable as Australia's was foreboding.

Lowest test totals at Headingley

61 WI v England 2000

67 NZ v England 1958

75 SA v England 1907

76 England v SA 1907

87 England v Aus 1909

88 Aus v Pakistan 2010

Pakistan v Australia

Headingley Carnegie: Pakistan lead by 60 with 7 first inns wkts standing.

Australia First Innings

S R Watson lbw b Mohammad Asif 5

S M Katich lbw b Aamer 13

R T Ponting lbw b Mohammad Asif 6

M J Clarke b Umar Gul 3

M E K Hussey lbw b Umar Gul 5

M J North c Kamran Akmal b Amin 16

T D Paine c Kamran Akmal b Moh'ad Asif 17

S P D Smith b Aamer 10

M G Johnson b Aamer 0

B W Hilfenhaus run out 3

D E Bollinger not out 2

Extras lb6 nb2 8

Total (33.1 overs) 88

Fall: 1-20 2-20 3-27 4-29 5-41 6-60 7-73 8-73 9-86.

Bowling: Aamer 11 4 20 3; Mohammad Asif 10.1 1 30 3; Umar Gul 9 3 16 2; Amin 2 0 7 1; Danish Kaneria 1 0 9 0.

Pakistan First Innings

Imran Farhat lbw b Watson 43

Salman Butt b Hilfenhaus 45

Azhar Ali c Paine b Watson 30

Amin not out 1

Akmal not out 8

Extras b11 lb6 nb4 21

Total 3 wkts (39 overs) 148

Fall: 1-80 2-133 3-140

To Bat: Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif.

Bowling: Bollinger 11 4 24 0; Hilfenhaus 13 1 56 1; Watson 6 2 12 2; Johnson 8 0 32 0; Smith 1 0 7 0.

Umpires: I J Gould and R E Koertzen.