The former star with the mainland Bayi Rockets was kicked off the national side after he refused to play for China as he pursued a four-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat.

But with the 2008 Beijing Olympics approaching the team has again sought his services in the hopes that China can win its first-ever Olympic basketball medal.

"The thing that really has excited me, is that he (Wang) has scored at least 20 points every game," the Basketball Pioneers newspaper quoted Yao as saying.

"The key is whether he can adjust his game when I come back.

"When I return, the offense and the defense are going to be set up around me, so Big Wang is going to have to adjust to a new role, from being the main offensive player to a player with more of a supporting role."

For China's Lithuanian coach Jonas Kazlauskas, it is crucial to get Yao and Wang on the practice court together so that a strategy can be worked out.

"We will set up a strategy that fits both of them, this is for sure. But as Yao Ming must train by himself for the coming weeks, there is still not a lot of time to have him work with Wang Zhizhi," Kazlauskas told journalists.

Team manager Gong said Yao is expected to fully recover by early August and should see action in an eight nation tournament in Nanjing city beginning on August 11.

If his recovery is quicker he may see action against the US national team in southern Guangzhou city on August 7.

Meanwhile, China will play seven warm up matches in the next two weeks in tournaments in France and Spain beginning on July 21. Yao will not be travelling with the team.