Pakistan rip through hapless Australia

Australia were bowled out for their second lowest total against Pakistan on the opening day of the second Test at Headingley.

Pakistan's seamers revelled in the overcast conditions after Ricky Ponting won the toss and chose to bat, dismissing Australia for 88 shortly after lunch.

Teenage left-armer Mohammad Aamer was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed three for 20 and narrowly missed out on becoming just the fourth Pakistani to claim a hat-trick after taking wickets with the first two balls after the interval.

Fellow seamer Mohammad Asif also claimed three wickets and Umar Gul chipped in with two as a humiliated Australia scrambled past their previous lowest mark against Pakistan - a total of 80 in Karachi in 1956.

It was also just the second time in a quarter of a century that Australia had failed to reach triple figures, with wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who was the last man out, the top scorer with 17.

Ponting's decision to bat first quickly looked a bad one as Australia lost six wickets before lunch - four of them lbw - in the swinging conditions.

Openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson had begun watchfully and progressed the score to 20, in what would be the highest partnership of the innings, before they were both trapped lbw.

Katich, who had passed 50 in his last six completed innings, could only manage 13 before Aamer nipped a delivery back to trap him in front, while Watson (five) fell in similar fashion in Asif's next over.

Michael Clarke made just three before he played down the wrong line once too often and was bowled by Gul between bat and pad.

Asif claimed the key wicket of Ponting (six) with a vicious inswinger that had the Australia skipper overbalancing on the front foot and plumb in front.

Gul was then lucky to get the fourth lbw decision of the morning against Mike Hussey (five) with umpire Rudi Koertzen, in his last Test match, raising the finger for a delivery that looked to be missing leg.

At that stage Australia were 41 for five, but Marcus North and Paine looked like they would get through to lunch without further loss, with the former looking assured with a couple of confident drives down the ground.

But North fell just before lunch when he edged the medium pace of Umar Amin through to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

The carnage continued immediately after the lunch break when Aamer took two wickets from the first two balls of the session.

Steven Smith played across the line to an inswinger and was bowled, before Mitchell Johnson had his off stump knocked back after also failing to play straight.

Aamer narrowly missed out on a hat-trick when Ben Hilfenhaus fended inside a ball angled across but the end was nigh.

Hilfenhaus was needlessly run out going for a third run before Paine was caught behind off Asif attempting to hit out.