He made his debut in 2009 when he played against Bangladesh. He took just one wicket in that match but showed great potential that kept him in the team. He also played in the under 19 world cup of 2009. He gave a very impressive performance in the cup and was later selected for Durham. In 2010 he got his first cap against MCC. In his first match itself, he scored a half century and bagged two wickets.

On 13 May he scored his first century in the first class cricket. He continued to play for the team in all formats as many players of the team were injured in that time. He was given a call-up for the national duty in 2011 when he was selected for a match against Ireland. His next series was against a very strong Indian team. He gave some average perforce for the team and won some matches in the process. He later made his twenty-twenty debuts against West Indies however he couldn't score many runs.

His test calls up came in 2013 when he was selected for the Ashes test series. Ashes are the famous test series between England and Australia that is played every year. His first test century came off just 195 balls when he made 120 runs and propelled the team to victory. He also took the wicket of Steve Smith and had a huge hand in his team's victory. He lost the series to Australia and the whole team had a very poor performance in the Ashes. Stokes, however, was a better performer for the team as he made 279 runs in the whole series and also took some wickets.

In 2014 he was selected for the West Indies tour and did very well. In 2015 he returned to his home country New Zealand for the first time with an opponent team. He described the feeling as unforgettable as he was praised by the supporters of both sides. He was currently out of the team due to injury. His batting style is considered aggressive as he comes late in the innings and has to hit runs at a faster pace. He is considered as a very important feature cricketer and an all-rounder for the team. His net worth is estimated to be around $10 million.