England reached 112-2 at stumps, a lead of 40 with eight first-innings wickets remaining, but only after Pakistan dropped four catches on day one.
Kevin Pietersen was not out on 36 at stumps, with Jonathan Trott unbeaten on 31, while Mohammad Asif took 1-23 and Mohammad Aamer claimed 1-36 for Pakistan.
Earlier, Pakistan was bowled out for 72, its lowest ever test match score against England, as James Anderson took 4-20, while Stuart Broad claimed 4-38.
Umar Amin was Pakistan's top scorer with 23, after it won the toss and chose to bat despite difficult conditions.
Pakistan made two changes to the side that lost heavily in the first Test, with Zulqarnain Haider making his debut replacing keeper Kamran Akmal and spinner Danish Kaneria making way for Saeed Ajmal.
However, there was no place for former captain Mohammad Yousuf, who arrived in England less than 24 hours before the start of play, and Pakistan's lack of experience was painfully obvious.
Imran Farhat was caught behind for 0 off Broad after batting for half an hour, Salman Butt (7) was caught by Graeme Swann at second slip off Steven Finn and Shoaib Malik (3) nicked an outswinger from Anderson behind.
Azhar Ali was lbw to Broad for nought having faced 32 balls in 55 minutes and Umar Akmal decided not to ask for a review when he was lbw to Finn for 17, despite the ball pitching well outside off stump.
Three balls later, the debutant Haider was out for a golden duck when he edged Broad behind.
Amin was dropped by Swann off Broad in the fifth over after lunch and in the next over, umpire Marais Erasmus gave Aamer out lbw to Anderson, only for the decision to be overturned.
A four from Amin in the 33rd steered Pakistan past its lowest ever test score - 53 against Australia in Sharjah in 2002.
However, Amin fell two overs later, caught off Broad by Paul Collingwood, and Umar Gul (0) lasted just eight balls before he was caught at gully by Kevin Pietersen off Anderson.
Aamer (12) holed out to Anderson two overs later, caught by a diving Alastair Cook at mid-off, and the innings was wrapped up when Asif (0) edged an Anderson delivery to Pietersen at gully.
England reached 43-0 at tea, but Pakistan finally enjoyed some success when it removed both openers early in the evening session.
Cook (17), having successfully reviewed an lbw decision when he was on 5, fell to the third ball after tea, trying an ill-judged pull that flew off his glove to Akmal at second slip.
Strauss followed in the next over, the 11th, after initially being given not out by umpire Steve Davis.
A review showed Aamer had found Strauss' inside edge before he was caught behind by Haider, but Pakistan then missed four catches, three of them simple.
Trott was on 8 when he flashed at a ball from Asif in the 16th over, but Farhat grassed an easy chance and worse was to follow.
In the 22nd over Pietersen, on 9, swatted Ajmal to mid-on, where Gul inexplicably parried the ball over the boundary rope for four.
Pietersen advanced to 20 when he inside-edged Gul, but Haider went for the ball with one hand and dropped it and Pietersen's charmed innings continued when he edged a four between Haider and first slip.
Trott and Pietersen had put on 68 for the third wicket when bad light halted play at 1648 GMT.
