England held its nerve to clinch a narrow 12-run Stanford Super Series victory over Middlesex in a low-scoring affair at Coolidge on Sunday.
Kevin Pietersen's team - on the island for the prestigious 20/20 for 20 on Saturday - avoided the ignominy of defeat to the English county champion despite posting a modest 121-4.
A late blitz from young star Dawid Malan briefly threatened to cause an upset but Ed Joyce's departure going for a six in the penultimate over left an unthinkable 18 required from the last, sent down by Andrew Flintoff.
Left-hander Malan finished unbeaten on 45 to further enhance his reputation as a clean hitter.
But ultimately this was another turgid contest dominated by the bowlers thanks to the slow surface at the Stanford ground.
It took an unbeaten 39 from Owais Shah against his county colleagues to ensure England posted a run-a-ball target after domestic 20-over champion Middlesex stifled the run rate in mid-innings through its twin spinners Shaun Udal and Murali Kartik.
It was Indian left-armer Kartik who bagged the prize scalp of Pietersen with a delivery which lured the batsman down the track and spun sharply to create a stumping chance.
When Middlesex captain Udal opted to bowl in tandem with Kartik, England was 36-0 after six overs.
But Ian Bell was run out soon afterwards after turning to leg and being left short by Neil Carter's direct hit.
Kartik - who earlier reprieved Bell with a drop at slip off new-ball bowler Tim Murtagh - then bowled Matt Prior, who attempted to cut off his stumps, clearly frustrated at the lack of boundary opportunities.
Udal finished with brilliant figures of 4-0-14-0 and there would have been reward in the final column but for an extraordinary gaffe by Andrew Strauss.
Dangerman Flintoff had not got off the mark when Udal induced a false flick but Strauss somehow contrived to drop the simplest of catches to great hilarity in the middle.
Shah rode his luck to top score, an innings which included two lives, gifted to him by Ed Joyce and Tim Murtagh in the deep.
Both Shah and Flintoff blasted sixes off one Murtagh over to boost the scoring rate but Eoin Morgan bucked the trend of dropped catches when he held a lofted chance from Flintoff at long-off and kept his boots from touching the rope.
Ryan Sidebottom came in for his first England match since the Edgbaston Test defeat to South Africa in early August due to Steve Harmison reporting unwell on arrival on the island.
Left-armer Sidebottom was plagued by injury at the end of the home season but, after injections and rehabilitation to his back and groin, declared himself fit for this week.
No longer an automatic choice, despite being England's reigning player of the year, Sidebottom made the first breakthrough when Strauss was bowled aiming a horrible slog to leg - but appeared to be troubled by another niggle during his second over and spent most of the innings off the field.
Flintoff, wearing one of Harmison's shirts, might have added a second in his first over but Joyce's sliced drive travelled through the hands of Paul Collingwood at point on its way for four.
Skied chances have been the real problem on this ground to date, however, and Pietersen put down one when Neil Carter drove at Stuart Broad.
It did not prove costly as Samit Patel expertly pouched Carter's top-edged pull at fine leg off Flintoff.
Without frontline spinners to rely on a la Middlesex, England's attack opted for different methods to restrict.
Broad banged the ball in short and was rewarded with a spell of 4-0-13-1, his success coming when Morgan advanced and was undone by the bounce.
Malan introduced himself with a sliced cut for four off Broad and then lofted Pietersen's off-spin for six, a feat repeated by Joyce, as Middlesex showed the value of keeping calm and wickets in hand.
But needing 41 from the final four overs proved too much and Flintoff and James Anderson closed out the match.