Gob
International Coach
Opening is definitely harder in England but I don't necessarily agree with the part that their best players are pushed in to the middle. In fact if anything it has been the opposite since I've been watching cricket (mid 90s) most of their best players opened the battingNot sure why you think he would have meant the former, but props for doing the digging. There would be dozens of batsmen with more 90+ scores than Slater, not just those 3. I think you limited your first search to just the 1990s by accident haha
Wonder if Australia being an easier place to open the batting than England has anything to do with it. I don't know if that's been the case historically but it definitely has in the last 20-30 years at least. My theory, if that's the case, is that the best batsmen in England would be more inclined to bat in the middle order to get the most out of their abilities whereas those from Australia were more likely to become openers because there's less risk of getting a good ball early you can do nothing about. For example a Hayden or Warner type character coming up in England might have more success batting in the middle order and end up as number 4 or 5 batsmen rather than openers.
This theory doesn't hold up at all if the "being an opener in England is harder" assumption isn't accurate
Gooch
Atherton
Trescothick
Strauss
Stewart
Cook
Vaughan