Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Sarfraz (stats will tell you he's best in top 4)
Malik
Asif
Shadab
Nawaz
Amir
Hasan
Shaheen
Asif Ali deserves a long run. He may not do brilliantly in uae but on English phattas he could become a match winner with quickfire 50s and 60s.
I back sarfraz at 4 despite his failures. He keeps moving up and down the order he needs to stay at number 4 for an extended period if time.
Shadab and nawaz ensure batting till number 8 plus a handy tail.
The only concern I have is that out of our top 6 batsmen only 3 are in form.
Good post. You have touched on some important points.
Tomorrow's line up is pretty difficult to decide/predict. I think there are two big questions that need deciding:
Haris or Asif?
This is very difficult. Two players I rate highly for different reasons and both would be in my line up for WC19. However UAE conditions are a different kettle of fish and based on the conditions/balance of the team only one of them can play tomorrow.
On the one hand we have Haris. If we lose early wickets, Haris and Babar at 3 and 4 would be the perfect foil and they could bat the majority of overs to post a competitive score. As you have mentioned only 2-3 of the batsmen have shown form which makes this choice all the more appealing. He also adds a bowling option.
However, Haris is at his best against pace and bounce and gets a little strangled against spin in LOIs. In sum, he would play Bumrah and Bhuvi well but might struggle to score against India's 3.5 spinners tomorrow. Also, as we saw in the game vs Afghanistan if Fakhar/Imam/Babar bat 35 overs between them then Haris is not really needed.
On the other hand, we have Asif Ali. He can win matches single-handedly. If the top five bats 35 overs or so, he will have the perfect platform to launch. If they don't, he will need to show self-control and maturity and bat time before launching. He showed great application in the most recent Pakistan Cup but his dismissal in the game vs Afghanistan was disappointing to say the least. Fakhar and Sarfaraz's lack of form makes this a risky selection but sending Sarfaraz in at four could be an inspired move given his excellent game against spin. Also if Shadab is fit then that would add some much needed depth to the batting and makes Asif's selection a lot less risky.
By the thinnest of margins I would go for Asif.
Amir, UKS or Junaid?
In terms of the bowling attack, two spinners are a must so Nawaz and Shadab are definite starters. SSA and Hasan are starting which leaves UKS/Amir/Junaid fighting for the final spot. Now Amir was dropped for the last game and personally I wouldn't mind if the management decides he should also sit out tomorrow. I think it will motivate Amir and with one eye on WC19 that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (even if it ends up costing us the game tomorrow). I would play UKS.
Playing XI
In sum, I would make one change from your proposed XI, and play the following:
Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Sarfraz
Malik
Asif
Shadab
Nawaz
Hasan
Shaheen
UKS
